Duck Tape Reality
by Seamagik
Summary: 1 part darkness and 2 parts silliness. Usagi is forced to grow into her own without her protectors. The Senshi are forced to grow without their princess. And Mamoru kicks some butt. Good fun.
1. Chapter 1

Duck Tape Reality

Seamagik!

Disclaimer: Not mine! Story, yes! Characters, no!

A/N: Bittersweet is on hiatus. I know where I'm going with it, but my own dissatisfaction won't let me proceed. One day, I'll rewrite. One day, I'll also stop procrastinating. doodoodoo… And stop working on that Harry Potter crossover that I'll never post anyway. OOOH the mortification! tee-hee.

As for THIS story. 1 part darkfic + 2 parts silliness and maybe a little bit of mary-sue thrown in for giggles. YAY! I have mostly no idea where this is going. YAY! By the waaaaay. Season R, during the break-up, 'cause let's face it; it's the most fun.

* * *

She screamed as she was dragged ever closer towards the hole in existence. The strong arm that held her tightened painfully across her neck. She could see Mars powering up through blurry, watery eyes."Now Mars," Rubeus grinned maliciously, "You wouldn't want to char your friend, would you?" He laughed at Mars' undisguised look of fury. He laughed harder as her arms dropped to her sides.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Usagi choked out, her hands clutching at his arm, desperately trying to loosen his grip.

"Whoever said I was going with you?" He murmured in her ear. Her eyes widened. Tuxedo Kamen could wait no longer. With a scream or rage he threw a rose carefully aimed at Rubeus's arm backed by all the strength of his fear and fury.

Rubeus's head whipped towards the guttural roar and his eyes widened. He disappeared moments before the steel-tipped rose would have hit him. It was hard to say whose cry was louder when the rose entered her flesh; Usagi's or Mamoru's. It slammed into her shoulder with the strength of a torpedo and she felt herself falling, falling… and then there was only darkness.

It was over in seconds. The rose entered her shoulder. One. The look of disbelief and pain as she turned to look at her former love. Two. Her hand clutching at the razor sharp stem as she stumbled backwards. Three. Backwards and into the opening of the dark vortex. Three. Backwards and out of their lives. Three.

The three longest seconds in history tore her away from them.

The Senshi of Time sobbed as she watched the images of Crystal Tokyo dissolve into nothingness. All of her carefully laid plans… all for nothing! She no longer had peace or companionship to look forward to… no longer had she hope for escaping the Gates of Time. No, the only thing that lay ahead of her now was uncertainty.

WiseMan easily tuned out Rubeus's gloating. He did not care _how_ the Neo Queen Serenity had been transported; only that she had been. Oh, the glorious destruction to come! No one could survive long in Quartoth, except for the natives and toughened warrior was not exactly on Sailor Moon's list of pros. Now, _he_ could rule the world! Of course, WiseMan didn't consider the fact the he might have created the biggest time paradox to occur. Actually, it was the _only_ time paradox to ever occur. But it was a doozy.

Throwing her into a hell dimension insured that Crystal Tokyo never rose from the ashes. The planet was encased in ice for awhile, melted. Evolution began anew, only this time reptiles arose as the ultimate species. Until the sun exploded. Then the earth drifted for a coupled millennia… and hit a star. It was all very sad, really. But also not the point.

The point is, with no Crystal Tokyo, there was no King Endymion to banish the Dark Moon family to Nemesis. With no people on Nemesis the Dark Crystal had no idea what it was missing and so never conjured WiseMan into existence. It did, eventually, but only to take up knitting. The Dark Crystal found it very relaxing.

With no people of Nemesis and no evil WiseMan, the Senshi were never attacked in the 20th century. So Sailor Moon was never thrown into Quartoth. So Crystal Tokyo arose. And once again a slight niggling in the back of his mind made King Endymion distrustful of the Dark Moon family. A recent assassination attempt, on the King's life of course, was pinned on the Dark Moon family and they were banished to Nemesis. In all fairness, of course, it _had_ been Diamond who had tried to kill King Endymion. Endymion just didn't know that. Mostly Endymion thought they were all psychotic and should be confined to a mental hospital. He thought better of that once he remembered that the Queen frequently visited the asylum… He reeaaally didn't like the way Diamond looked at her. So instead he found a big floating rock near the end of their universe and chucked them all there. A bold move, applauded by millions.

Of course the Dark Crystal awoke to the wonders of human drama and summoned WiseMan into existence. Then they got the wonderful idea to go to the 20th century and throw the queen into the black vortex of death. Which started the whole mess all over again. Reptiles and everything.

Father Time might have fixed it, if he realized what was going on, but he himself was stuck in the loop.

Mother Earth might have fixed it, but she didn't much like humans anyway, except for Endymion, and he wasn't reason enough to unleash 6 billion Neanderthals on her paradise. She looked forward to Crystal Tokyo, though, where humans pretty much stayed out of her business, and resolved herself to fix the problem _eventually_. Right now, she was savoring the reptiles.

God might have fixed it, but She was also busy. Don't ask. It is not for you to know.

Which of course left the situation to be handled by reality. Many people don't realize this, but reality is, in fact, masculine. Which explains why reality _makes_ _no sense_. It also explains why it handled the situation as it did. Reality couldn't simply go to the root of the problem, weigh pros and cons, and then make an educated decision by choosing one of the two possible futures to reign supreme and erasing the other… oh no, reality took the easy way out. He slapped the two halves together and threw some duck tape around it.

The story that follows is the meshing of those two realities. Please ignore the duck tape.


	2. Chapter 2

Duck Tape Reality: Chapter 2

Seamagik!

Disclaimer: I don't own the show, the manga, the action figures, the PC game, or anything else. I do have a Sailor Moon coin box! … … Did I say too much?

* * *

The first night. 

The darkness may have lasted a moment, it may have lasted an eternity. It actually lasted a minute and thirteen seconds, but as it has been said, reality makes no sense so it certainly didn't feel like it.

To Usagi, it was a lifetime of pain. A small voice in the back of her head empathized with all those Youma that had been on the receiving end of Kamen's roses. The rest of her was screaming in agony. Her skin felt tight and stretched, too small for her frame. Her shoulder was on fire and in response sweat broke out all over her body. Her lower lip trembled. As the blackness became too close, too unbearable, she screamed...

And was dumped into tall grass and the welcoming, natural, darkness of night. She wailed as her shoulder was jarred roughly, not to mention the rest of her. Although it quickly became apparent that no one would appear to doctor her, she wailed away, mostly from pain. As pain wore off and shock set in, wails of hysteria turned to sobs of fear. Minutes passed, and those too subsided as reality came crashing in. Holding her shoulder, she got unsteadily to her feet. Grass. More grass. There in the distance a forest. Mountains after that. She looked in the opposite direction. Grass as far as the eye could see. She was tempted to call for Mamoru, for Rei, but the eerie hush stilled her voice before her mouth could form the words. Something wasn't right… Something wasn't… _natural_.

Great. She was alone, apparently _miles_ from Tokyo, with the equivalent of an arrow stuck inside her. She was tempted to collapse to the ground, but remembering what the last jar had done to her, she lowered herself gently instead. _Don't panic_, she told herself. Ami would locate her on her computer and the Senshi would rescue her soon. But how soon? Could she afford to leave the rose in her shoulder as blood dribbled from her wound?

Ami was the 'doctor' of the group; Usagi was way out of her league here. Everything Usagi knew about first aid had at one point or another been practiced upon her and this situation was definitely a first. She couldn't feel her arm anymore,it had finally stopped throbbing, and she felt cold and clammy. Okay, so she was in shock. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? She couldn't remember. Maybe both? Okay, now, what to do?

The rose outside of her skin held thorns and she was willing to bet that more than a few were underneath as well. Which means that if she pulled it out, it would tear muscle and more skin as it was dislodged, possibly even damaging nerves or blood vessels as it went. Thank god Makoto had made her watch that medieval war film. She grimaced. Mamoru must have been powerfully angry when he conjured this nasty piece of work. _What does he care? He broke up with me. _She shoved that voice aside. She could worry about that later.

Think, Usagi! What happened in that movie? Let's see. Shot with a barbed arrow, check. The monk had wanted to slice open the flesh and carefully extract the head. Okay. But the warrior hadn't that kind of time. Okay. Ripped it out of his shoulder and immediately set out to rescue the princess. Well, if he could stand after it, why couldn't Sailor Moon? She steeled herself, and held the shaft of the rose in her good hand, unmindful of the painful barbs digging into her palm. She took a deep, calming breath, shut her eyes, and _yanked_ as hard as she could.

Blood sprayed. The night came alive with her scream. Mercifully, just as she thought the flames of her pain would consume her and she would surely die, unconsciousness claimed her.

* * *

"Where is she?" he ground out.

Mercury ignored him, as she had been for the last 10 minutes. Her scanner came up empty, _again._ "She's not in Tokyo." her soft answer came. "That was the last district and no luck."

"Find her." He replied stonily.

"Why should you care?" Jupiter muttered darkly, shooting him an even darker look.

"What was that?" he demanded harshly, his head whipping towards the tall brunette.

Makoto stood slowly from her spot near the fountain, stretching muscles, cracking knuckles as she went. "I think you heard me the first time, Cape Boy." She said angrily. Venus grabbed her arm and began speaking furiously in hushed tones. Makoto ignored her and shook the smaller girl off. "But maybe that top hat isn't good for reception." Jupiter sneered. "So I'll say it again… Why do you care?"

"Because I-" he began angrily and then trailed off. His eyes flickered to Mercury. Any moment now she would triumphantly exclaim that Usagi had been found. They'd all go rescue her and… and… and life would continue on. He couldn't be with her, not and risk losing her forever. He would bring her home and he would walk away from her.

Jupiter's eyes softened as she watched his internal debate. Maybe he did love her. Maybe there was more to this-

"Because I can't watch Chibi-Usa every hour of the day." He replied snidely. "And though Sailor Moon isn't the toughest warrior, she's the only one who consistently kills Youma."

"Dusts." Mercury corrected absentmindedly, still typing away at her computer. Senshi don't _kill_ anything. Or do we? She paused for a moment. Youma don't count. She shook her head and resumed her work.

"You piece of-"

"Jupiter, calm down!" Venus shrieked, being dragged along behind her comrade in her frantic attempts to stop the taller girl.

Rei considered letting the tall woman have her way with Tuxedo Kamen, but he _was_ the love of Usagi's first _and_ second life. Right now, he was also a big stoic nuisance. The natural leader in her stomped on the chibi devil that was trying to crawl onto her shoulder. Rei steeled herself and calmly stepped into the Amazon's warpath. "Not now," she murmured. "Please. Wait until she's back with us."

Jupiter, who had been completely prepared to ignore any tongue lashing the priestess spat at her, stopped in her tracks, floored. And as her anger dispersed, the tears welled up. Venus, who suddenly realized that the freight train had come to a stop and was about to dissolve, dropped her friend's arms, embarrassed. She patted her friend's back and murmured soothingly to her, leading her back towards the fountain. She did have it in her to shoot Tuxedo Kamen a glare, but only because she was one of the two whom hadn't gotten to insult him yet. Mars had already gotten her digs in during the first five minutes. Jupiter had just had her turn. Maybe she would get to call him something delightful soon. She had been saving up insults for some time now. Goody! Once Usagi was back, she wouldn't get another chance.

"She's not in Japan." Mercury frowned. Well, Beryl had been stationed at the North Pole, of all places. Who knew were these Dark Moon freaks were from. England, maybe? She spared a glance at Minako. Yeah, that was a possibility.

The next few minutes ticked by in relative silence and though her comrades began to lighten up at the prospect of soon finding their leader, Ami's heart fell deeper and deeper into her chest. Her face paled with each passing moment.

Mamoru, who noticed the blue girl's pallor, pulled himself from his silent musings and tried to control his shaking hands. "Well?" he croaked.

"She's not on Earth." Mercury said, her voice shaking, tears brimming in her eyes. "She's not even in this universe."

"Yeah!" Minako stood, standing, appearing strangely gleeful. "So shut up, you- Wait…" The words crashed home in the blonde's mind. "What did you say?"

"If… If she was alive, I would have found her." Mercury said slowly. Jupiter looked physically ill as she turned towards the fountain. Mars and Venus appeared to be in shock. Ami's face crumpled, and she collapsed to the pavement. Silent sobs shook her shoulder and she felt her heart break as the tears began coursing down her cheeks. Her leader, her friend… her Usagi.

"No," Mamoru shook his head, his eyes wide and his face stricken with horror. "No, that's not true. I would have known. I would have felt-"

"This is your fault." A low growl. "_You_ killed her." Rei and Minako's heads whipped toward Jupiter, but it had not been she that had spoken. She was busy vomiting into the fountain. They turned just in time to see Ami, sweet, docile Ami, launch herself at Mamoru with a shriek of rage, fingers curled into talons. Only Minako's firm belief that Usagi was alive had her running towards Mercury, tackling her moments before the girl would have collided with the man. Mamoru didn't even seem to notice.

"I would have known." He repeated to himself. He stared at his hands in shock. The same hands that had called forth a rose… The same hands that… He turned to stare at Mars, eyes glistening in the dim lamplight. "I would have known, wouldn't I?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn't bring herself to break the fragile hope that lingered in the man's eyes. Her mouth shut with a snap and she nodded firmly, willing her tears to dry, her voice to strengthen. "There's more than one way to skin a cat." She said after a moment. "And there's more than one way to find a bunny." She turned and walked away from them.

"Mars!" Minako shrieked, holding up the now sagging Mercury. "Don't leave me with them! Mars! Where are you going?" But the girl was already gone, vanished into the night.

"To the shrine." Mamoru replied for her. "To prepare. She'll search the fire. She'll find Usagi." And then with a swirl of his cape, he too was gone. Minako sighed and glanced first at Mercury and then at Jupiter. She was glad that everyone was so dead set on immediately finding Usagi but why did she get stuck with the basket cases?

And she hadn't even gotten a good dig into Tuxedo Kamen.

Damn.

* * *

Unconsciousness was a welcome respite from the pain. But all good things must come to an end and her ocean of pain free darkness was no different. She was pulled unhappily, unwillingly, from her haven and thrust back into reality. Her eyes popped open. No moon hung overhead, no stars visible to her eyes. The night air was cold against her skin and her shoulder throbbed. Her fuku, which had been wet with her own blood when she had collapsed, was now dried to the puckered skin around her wound. As she sat up, the fuku pulled at the red, tender skin causing her to wince and shudder. How long had she been out? Hours? Surely the sun would rise soon. Once again, despair and helplessness overwhelmed her and she felt her face crumpling.

Where was she? What would become of her? Why was that large dog licking its jowls as it stared at her? She hiccupped. Wait a minute… What?

If Usagi had paid attention in biology or given it more than a cursory glance, she would know that this creature more closely resembled wolf than dog. If it was wolf, it was the only wolf known to man to have naturally glowing eyes. Also, it is a well-known fact that wolfs only attack humans when rabid or starving. This particular brand of wolf _demon_ had no such qualms. Of course Usagi knew none of this.

"Uh," she sweat dropped. "Good doggy?" She glanced at it again and _really_ took in its appearance. "Good… ummm… _very_ large, green-eyed doggy?"

In response, it licked its chops. The back of her mind cooed. All that askew white-grey fur really set off the glow to its eyes. How _kawaii_!

Then it tried to bite her.

Only her quick reflexes and shriek of fear saved her. Her abilities as Sailor Moon had her stumbling out of the way just in time. Her shriek, well, it could stun an entire herd of elephants. The wolf demon winced, giving Usagi just enough time to…

The moon scepter came crashing down onto the wolf's head and it collapsed in a heap at her feet. The demons that had been watching the encounter slowly retreated from the scene. The sun would rise soon and none were higher in hierarchy than a_Shiatsu_; they would not dare challenge a conqueror of a wolf demon without more of their kind for help. Usagi wouldn't realize it until weeks later, but her encounter with the_Shiatsu_ that night saved her life.

She glanced around nervously, wondering if any of the wolf's friends were around and more importantly, if they were also hungry. Only eerie silence greeted her. She looked again at the wolf, crumpled at her feet. Her kind nature urged her to stay and nurse it back to health; in truth it appeared starving, its body thin and wasting, ribs clearly visibly on its deep barreled chest. However, primal instincts, the kind that most modern men only felt when watching an action movie, urged her to move and to keep moving until it was daylight and this creature was far behind her. Had her Senshi been there she may have stuck around but on her own fear became her prime motivator. It was tempting to de-henshin, but given her wound and complete lack of knowledge about her surroundings, she decided that wouldn't be a good idea. She could however…

She detransformed and gasped, staggering, as energy drained from her body. Her shoulder which had merely throbbed a moment ago burned now with all the fires of hell. As quickly as she could, given her injury, she removed her jean jacket and her over shirt, throwing them to the side, leaving her only in her cami and her long pink skirt. Each movement, each brush against the puckered opening, brought another gasp and more tears. Thank god she used her right hand to henshin. As the magic caressed her, pain was swept from her mind. It was over in seconds and the throbbing returned.

Her fuku was whole again, but already a red blotch was appearing on the white. She stooped, grabbing the shirt from the ground. She held the garment to the ground, pinned by her foot, and pulled with her good hand. Though it twisted and turned, it would not tear. And of course she had nothing to cut with… She glanced briefly at the unconscious wolf's muzzle and quickly discounted that idea.

Seeing no alternative, she wrapped her shoulder with the entire shirt and then threw the jean jacket on, maneuvering her arm into it carefully. Now, which way to the go? The forest struck her as safer, but she couldn't climb a mountain on her own! Surely, though, the Senshi would find her soon. Best to be under cover until they came. With a final glance at the wolf, she took off running into the grass and towards the mountains.

* * *

It was that dream. It was their wedding. Usagi was enchanting, ethereal, absolutely gorgeous. All too soon, a sinister mocking laugh filled the air. The voice, it was different. Filled with hatred. As Usagi was ripped from him a figure swathed in black appeared at his side. 

"It was only chance that I stumbled upon these dreams that King Endymion sent you. I'm _so_ glad that I did." The figure laughed again.

"Who are you?" Mamoru hissed, his eyes never leaving his beautiful bride. "And who is King Endymion?"

The dark cloak turned to him, but from the corner of his eye Mamoru could see nothing but shadow beneath the hood. "You may call me Wise Man. As for the other… Judging by your face, I would say King Endymion is your future self."

"What?" Mamoru questioned in shock, finally turning to the dark man. "My _future self_? But why-"

"I care not. Have no fear though. I am your savior." The cloaked man cackled. "You will not be plagued by these dreams any longer."

Mamoru's shoulders slumped in relief… that is until he heard what he said next.

"That future is done. You will never marry the Neo-Queen Serenity. She is _dead_."

"No!" he roared, lunging at Wise Man. "That's not true!" He clutched the man's robes and shook hard. "That's not true, she can't be dead. I would _know_!"

Wise Man disappeared and rematerialized a few feet away. "She is dead. And _you_ killed her. No matter, without you she was dying, little by little, anyway."

"No," Mamoru shook his head in denial. "Usagi is strong, she would have-"

"Is this strong?" Wise Man sneered. An image flashed- A young girl crying alone in a phone booth. Mamoru's heart wrenched. "Is this your fearsome warrior?" A young girl, alone, sobbing into her pillow.

"Please, stop." Mamoru whispered, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Is this what you do to those you love?" A rose, thrown with deadly accuracy pierced a small warrior's flesh.

"No more." He whispered brokenly.

Wise Man cackled happily. "Is this how you treat the savior of light?" A beautiful girl in the middle of tall grass let out a heart-rending shriek as she pulled a rose from her shoulder before falling back into a dead faint, eyes rolling up into her head.

Mamoru's head shot up, tears drying instantly. "She's _alive_?" He growled.

"What?" Wise Man gasped. "That's not what you were supposed to see! And how did this duck tape get on my cloak?"

Mamoru's eyes shone with an unholy light. "She's alive." He turned burning eyes on Wise Man. "I _will_ find her." He growled, squaring his shoulders, his body abruptly covered with the armor of Prince Endymion.

"You will never find her. Only I-"

Mamoru threw his head back, laughing. "Oh, only you know where she is I imagine?" His laugh faded and dark eyes turned on Wise Man one again. "Don't worry. I'm coming for you, Wise Man. I _will not _stop until she is home and you are _dead_..." Wise Man was merely a conjuration of the Dark Crystal. The Dark Crystal had never known fear before. But as the dark prince lunged for its puppet, a glint of madness in his eyes, the Dark Crystal _learned _exactly what it meant to be afraid. Wise Man disappeared with a popping sound, leaving Mamoru alone to laugh.

"She's alive." He whispered in happiness.

* * *

Sailor Pluto lifted a heavy head to stare at the time stream. Her head throbbed, her eyes were puffy and swollen, tear tracks still marked her red, blotchy face.

"Wha-?" She questioned softly, hicupping as shestared into the time stream at the flickering images.

"What's going on?"

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Duck Tape Reality

Seamagik

Chapter 3!

Yay! Finally, a day off from work! Happy dance! R and R baby… I live for reviews :P

* * *

Usagi was running… still. 

It was dark… still.

Her arm hurt… still.

Usagi had hope… still. One of the perks of _being_ Usagi was possessing hope in large, almost unrealistic, quantities. Silky blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a toned, warrior's body didn't hurt much either. Speaking of which…

Her limbs were about to drop off. Any wheeze now a lung would give out. Her head was pounding. _Maybe Mako is right…_ her brain grumbled. _Maybe I do need to train more. _Her aching body groaned in agreement. In her defense, she had been running for a solid couple of hours. Thank goodness she was a superhero or she would have been passed out on the ground ages ago.

Part of it, she was sure, was dehydration. Though the sun had yet to rise, every hour brought a sharp increase in temperature and a sharp decrease in moisture. As the sky slowly and grudgingly lightened in false dawn, Usagi began to notice how… _dried out_… everything appeared to be. The tall grass that swayed around her was brown, crackling and crumbling at her passing. Every so often she would glance behind and observe her wake of destruction.

The trees, which had appeared rather distant from where she had begun her lovely pre-morning jaunt, were in reality _extremely_ distant. The stitch in her side twinged as if reminding her of that fact. Not much longer now, though. Maybe another half hour and she would break through the tree line. Maybe the Senshi would find her before then. If it was this warm now, how much hotter would it be when the sun peaked its head from behind the mountains? She didn't like to imagine… So distracted was she, her foot caught on a half-buried rock and she tripped, barely catching herself before falling. _Baka Usagi! Pay attention! _Her face hardened and her will strengthened. Just get there!

Just keep running. Don't think about how tired you are. Don't think about how thirsty you are. Just keep moving. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot…Don't think about _anything_, don't think, don't think.

_I wonder how Mamoru's doing?_

Rock! Damn!

* * *

Ami had to be half-dragged, half-carried to her home. Luckily for Minako, Dr. Mizuno was working the graveyard shift at the hospital and she didn't have to make up some lame excuse for chucking her blue haired friend half dressed into her bed. Mako still appeared queasy so Minako hurried her along as fast as possible. By the time she got Makoto all the way to her apartment, dawn had broken and the city was beginning to wake up. 

"Thanks, Minako." Makoto smiled up at her friend, still a little green around the edges.

Minako nodded firmly, tucking her friend the rest of the way. "Nurse Minako is always here to help!"

If it's possible, Mako turned an even more livid shade of olive. "No, no, no, no…" She protested, forcefully suppressing a nervous laugh as she sat up. "You must be exhausted. You should go home!"

"You think so?" Mina replied, rolling her shoulders as she stretched. Who would have known that thin Ami was so heavy?

Mako's eyes widened in what she hoped was a look of sincerity and she vehemently nodded... and watched as Minako transformed in front of her eyes. Without a mission, the stress induced energy that had kept her going drained. Her shoulders slumped and the sparkle that had danced in her eyes only moments ago fizzled and died. Even her hair, which usually bounced in a state of unnatural perkiness, seemed limp. Makoto's smile died a slow death as worry crept in.

Aino Minako, superstar extraordinaire, had many fans but few friends. Four, to be precise. And one of those, her best friend of all, had been ripped away. It was the same for all of the Senshi, really. Usagi was best friend to each and every one of them. Now that she was gone-

_No_, Makoto shook her head, ignoring Minako's questioning look. Usagi may be the personal savior and closest friend to each individual Senshi, but the other girls wouldn't simply fall apart at her absence. Their friendships were based on more than their connection to one small girl.

"You're tired, stay here." Makoto said abruptly, surprising Minako out of her own dark thoughts. Mako climbed out of bed and smiled at her blonde friend. "Not that tired, anyway. Just a little hungry," She grinned, rubbing her stomach.

Minako began to protest weakly, but Makoto easily ignored her. "You want some tea?" She asked over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen. Minako might have said yes, she might have said no. The yawn kind of ruined it.

By the time Makoto returned, the girl was snoring peacefully.

* * *

"But why?" 

"Do not question me," Wise Man snapped angrily, his voice never losing its other-worldly quality. "It is enough that I have said avoid him."

Rubeus' jaw clenched in anger, his body stiffening. He shrugged it off, affecting a nonchalant pose. "You may have noticed, but he tends to appear whenever we attack. How exactly are we-"

"Forget Small Lady." Wise Man intoned, gazing into his crystal ball. "She is no threat to us now. Tuxedo Kamen _is_." Rubeus's eyes were clouded in anger; otherwise he might have noticed the shudder of fear course through Wise Man.

"I was going to say," Rubeus' eye was twitching now the Dark Crystal noted gleefully, "how are we supposed to get energy to power the Crystal?"

Glee disappeared. Without enough energy the Dark Crystal would revert to its inanimate state. Its supply had recently been diminished with the loss of the four sisters. Although the Dark Crystal could steal, amplify, and then redistribute energy to its minions, it couldn't simply _create_ it like the Silver Crystal could. Before it could feed its reply to its puppet, Wise Man answered on his own.

"You think Tokyo is the only city on this planet? Find your energy elsewhere!"

A good response, true, but not the one the Dark Crystal had been preparing. Wise Man was a puppet, nothing more. It shouldn't have a will of its own. Key word: _shouldn't_. If an evil, giant rock could be said to frown, it was.

As punishment, the Dark Crystal found the most redundant and boring activity on earth and made Wise Man do it for the rest of the day.

By evening, the Dark Crystal decided it rather fancied this whole _knitting_ idea.

By evening, Wise Man decided things were going to have to change.

* * *

Setsuna turned to another gateway, to that of the 20th century. The images of any century past that flickered too violently to make any sense of. And there she saw- 

"Chibi-Usa." She breathed.

Chibi-Usagi was still _alive_. And if she was alive, that meant-

"Hope." She mumbled happily to herself.

* * *

Chiba-Usa was not only alive, she was also extremely annoying. At the moment. At many moments, really, but it was defined really well at this point in the space-time continuum. 

"Where is Usagi?" She stomped her foot for emphasis. Sometimes she felt that adults really didn't listen unless you put some _oomph_ into it. Adults _or_ cats.

Artemis scratched the back of his head nervously. Luna continued to stare blankly at the girl. In truth, the two had just slipped in to make sure the small girl was okay. They hadn't expected to find her pacing next to Usagi's bed in a state of near panic. Or for them to be attacked by a barrage of questions, mostly concerning Usagi and her well-being.

Suddenly, Luna felt herself being hoisted into the air. She glanced at Artemis. He too was being held by the scruff of the neck, eye level to the pink haired sugar monster. Perhaps annoying was a hasty judgment, Luna thought to herself. The girl did seem genuinely worried.

"Ah, about that…" Artemis began, but was cut off as a flailing paw smacked him hard in the face. Chibi-Usa glared at Luna and held her further away from her white companion.

"You were saying?" She urged Artemis.

He glanced at Luna, his mouth clamping shut at her furious glare. Sensing she would get no further with him, Chibi-Usa deposited him on the bed, turning her glare on the other cat. At that moment, Luna was struck at how closely the girl resembled Usagi. The glare really intensified the resemblance. Luna had been on the receiving end of that very same pointed stare from Usagi many a time. Usually it was after a gentle reminder or a particular piece of sage advice. 'Nagging', Usagi called it. Maybe Chibi-Usa had picked it up from the other girl; after all, she did idolize Sailor Moon.

"Are you listening to me?" Chibi-Usa demanded hotly, shaking the cat gently. "I want to know where Usagi-baka is!" Luna cursed Artemis in her mind. If he had just lied in the beginning and said that Usagi was with one of the other girls, none of this would have happened. No, instead he had to turn red and stammer like a fool. Now it was up to Luna to fix this mess.

Luna was brave. Luna possessed strength of will, if nothing else. She had faced down Kunzite in cat form, not an easy feat. She had attacked incestuous aliens in defense of her charge. Also not particularly easy. She had been clobbered both times. She had a feeling if she used her strength of will and bravery in this situation the result would be much the same. So she took the easy way out.

Chibi-Usa cried out as small, pointed teeth entered her flesh. She dropped the cat, cradling her wrist as tears sprung to her eyes. She protested as the two cats dashed for the window, springing out and away before she could reach them. Her lower lip trembled but she stifled the wail that threatened. The clock read 6:30. Mamoru would be awake by now. She pulled on her pink jacket and slipped out of Usagi's room.

Mamoru would know. Tuxedo Kamen always knew where his Sailor Moon was. Her daddy had told her so.

* * *

It only took fifteen minutes to reach the trees. Apparently, Usagi was not a great judge of distance. Either that or she had been so intensely focused that she had failed to notice how the scenery had fairly whizzed by. Slightly the former, mostly the latter. The sun had turned out to be a great motivator. 

What she had thought was the green of a rare false dawn was in reality the first rays of a larger than normal, slightly greenish sun. The sky was still blue where the aurora of the sun did not reach, which was mostly only very high in the sky and in the west. Usagi's prediction had been correct. Each minute the sun was above the horizon brought another increase in temperature. The good news was that the temperature seemed to have stabilized; strange but true. The bad news was that it had bypassed extremely hot and gone straight to sweltering. Which had made Usagi pause at the tree line to think…

Why on earth are those trees green?

Even with a water table, they should be baked! Rain forests were hot, true, but this place didn't exactly scream of frequent rainfall. By all accounts, the trees standing in front of her should be cacti. Trivial matters to be sure, but where there was unnatural, there was usually magic. And in Usagi's world view, where there was magic, usually there were enemies.

Just breath, Usagi. We can take enemies alone, we've done it before. Besides, the Senshi will be here any minute now. You don't want them to find you baked and delirious, do you? Usagi nodded firmly to herself and stepped into the tree line. The loud chime, heard for miles, startled crows into the air.

On the other side of the forest, farmers stopped their work and turned towards the trees. Their respite only lasted a few moments. The chime, while unusual, meant that the Covenant was still enforced. Whatever plains invader that had stepped past the trees would soon find out that it was not welcome.

* * *

It was dark. Not outside. Outside, people were on their way to work, happily ignorant of the way in which their world would soon change. In Mamoru's apartment, it was extremely dark. At first she thought that he must be still asleep but when she flipped on the light a growl from the couch disillusioned her. She slipped off her shoes, approaching him slowly. She rounded the corner of the couch hoping to find him asleep. A growl is not what one is usually greeted with. Alas, but no, he was very much awake. Slouched down, eyes dark, he watched his fist clench and unclench with a kind of unholy glee, as if he was crushing something in his grasp. She swallowed and bit her lip, wondering if this was a bad time. Before she could turn to leave, he noticed her presence and the darkness seemed to drain from him. 

"Chiba-Usa? What are you doing here?" He asked, worry marring his brow. "You know it's dangerous to be out on your own!"

"But I wasn't attacked-"

He shook his head, ignoring her protest. Chibi-Usa… went out on her own… and _didn't_ get attacked! "You got lucky this time. You know you aren't supposed-"

"Usagi didn't come home." Chibi-Usa interrupted. "I know she went to fight a Youma last night, but when I woke up this morning she still wasn't home. I thought maybe she was at Rei's or Ami's," she continued in a rush, hoping to intercept Mamoru's excuse, "but Luna and Artemis came in without her. Where is Usagi, Mamoru?" She finished breathlessly and then watched as Mamoru drew into himself, eyes darkening once more… watched as his knuckles turned white on his clenched fist. It was as she feared.

"She's can't be dead!" The girl wailed, breaking through his haze of unhappiness. "Not Sailor Moon!" For the first time since waking up, Mamoru smiled. He pulled the small girl on to his lap, while whispering consolingly.

"No, she's not dead." He shook his head, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "If nothing else, we know that."

"Then where is she?" Chibi-Usa sniffled, wiping her misty eyes with a sleeve. When Mamoru said nothing, she felt another wail building up. "If you don't know where she is, how can you know that she's alive!"

"She's alive," He murmured, pushing away his desire to brood for his greater desire to comfort the girl. "Wise Man told me that much, at least." he muttered to himself.

Chibi-Usa started in surprise. Wise Man? She had heard the name before… at home… It was a name spoken in hushed voices, behind closed doors, and never where anyone thought a child might hear. But if Wise Man was involved then maybe Usagi had been taken to the future… but how to tell Mamoru? Hey, I'm from the future and your ex-girlfriend might be there with one of the big bads? That might not go over to well. So instead, she prodded him in the right direction.

"Wise Man? Didn't he work with the four sisters?" Please buy it.

Mamoru's head shot up, his eyes clearing. "Why didn't I think of that?" he murmured. Chibi-Usa didn't even have to be asked. She shot off his lap and headed towards the door. She had slipped on her shoes before he'd even stood up.

"I want to go as badly as you, Chibi-Usa." Mamoru laughed wryly. "But maybe I should change first…" Chibi-Usa cocked her head, taking in his rumpled tuxedo and monstrous hair. She nodded impatiently and proceeded to pace until he reappeared from his bedroom. And then she was out the door like a rocket, Mamoru only moments behind her.

* * *

Trees were meant to stay in the same place. It was the natural order of things. Usagi heard another rustle and she snapped around. They had closed up behind her… again. She bit back a wail, and moved faster. 

"I don't hear you." She muttered as the rustling resumed behind her back. "This is not happening to meeeee." She broke into a run. She had known this forest was unnatural based on its color alone. The moment she had stepped in and felt the temperature drop to a nice cool range had only supported her misgivings. When she had turned to look once more at the plains and had been met by a wall of trunks, well… her misgivings had turned into alarm bells and she had hurriedly begun walking away from the newly formed tree barrier, sure that perhaps she had been transported or that a spell was in place. Now, minutes later, she was sure that the trees _were_ moving. Not only were they moving, they seemed to be _herding_ her. Sometimes, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of green, a spear of brown, as another tree slid into place.

It was very unnerving.

Unnerving, made more so by the growls, yips, and squawks coming from behind the wall of bark and leaves. Two shrubs lay before her, too perfect to be natural and she stumbled through them and into a clearing. And gasped.

Breathtaking. Beautiful. _Enchanting. _

Four crystalline pools lay before her, their waters deep and wide, a perfect blue. A few giant willows, of the non-moving variety, hung precariously over the pools, branches lovingly caressing the waters. There was a stillness, a crispness, to the air and for a moment felt as if she had intruded on something magical. And then one of the pools bubbled. And let off some steam.

"Hot springs!"

The moment was made even more magical by the high tinkling of bells on the breeze.

Farmers dropped pitchforks and turned to gape at the forest. Little children watched, toys forgotten, as the shamans darted between huts to talk in strained, hushed voices. Here and there they caught snippets, to their unending delight.

"…sacred pools… alive?"

"…bells… not an enemy."

The oldest of the children crept forward cautiously in time to hear- "I've felt the deaths of a few demons since the first warning sounded." Shaman Miatsu frowned. She, of all of them, had the closest connection to the denizens of the forest and the sudden loss of a few of those connections had her troubled.

"It must then be a powerful demon." The elder rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then whipped around at the sound of giggles and whoops of excitement. The children dispersed at his hard glare and went to play a nice bout of 'slay the demon.'

"Surely then it is our job to find out this demon's intentions? If it has found the sacred pools, its path must be set for our village."

The elder nodded, arching long fingers in front of his face. A glow surrounded his hands as he peered at each shaman in turn before making his final decision.

"Shaman Kirari, Shaman Miatsu, and Shaman Jian, you shall accompany me to the Sacred Pools. Prepare gifts and a few sacrifices, just in case." The three selected shaman bowed respectfully to the man in gray before hurrying away to complete their tasks. Of the shamans not selected, only one's face grew stormy as he watched the others leave. The Elder turned to appraise him, eyes hard. "There is much anger in you, Shaman Tuon, and much war. You would bring a sword where only a branch is needed."

"We don't know anything about-" he began in protest only to be silenced by a sharp movement of the Elder's hand.

"Jian is a skilled fighter and Kirari will stay in the rear with her bow. Surely you are not questioning the abilities of your fellow shaman?"

Tuon appeared chagrined, bowing his head in apology even as his face burned in humiliation. "Apologies Elder, fellow shaman. But the bells are not always precise. My mother-"

Elder's eyes turned to granite, his face set in a mask of stone. "Your mother followed the way of the Huntress and brought much honor to your house. Do not shame her with rash words." The younger man fell back, anger darkening his eyes. The Elder gave him another hard look before turning on his heel and gliding away. The other shamans said nothing, didn't even look at him as they walked away. The shaman's hand clenched in anger as a snarl twisted his features.

* * *

Mamoru had slipped through the crowds rather easily. It seemed the four sisters were having another sale and half of Tokyo's female population had shown up to celebrate. He hoisted Chibi-Usa onto his shoulders and murmured a polite 'excuse me' here and there and the crowd parted like the red sea, half of them cooing, half of them drooling. 

"Cooan," he nodded in greeting.

"Chiba Mamoru…" her return nod was not as friendly, marred by the stoniness of her eyes.

He shifted uncomfortably and forged on ahead anyway. "I need to talk to you. All of you."

She frowned her displeasure at him. She knew what if felt like to be the woman scorned and the stress of the crowds wasn't making her terribly hospitable. She opened her mouth to retort and was pulled sharply to the side by Beruche. Petz appeared on her other side and gave Mamoru a polite smile. "Chiba? To what do we owe this… pleasure?"

"I have questions that need answers." He replied just as politely.

Petz nodded and her two sisters' faces sunk a tad. They all knew this day would come, they just didn't imagine it would be Kamen who would do the asking. Petz turned to her younger sister. "Cooan, stay here and watch the register." The youngest of the sister's nodded, only mildly displeased at being left alone. From across the room Karaberas caught her older sister's eye and was answered by a sharp nod. She made her way to the back room, only moments behind her two sisters, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa.

He wasted no time in preamble, barely waiting for them to seat themselves before launching his first question at them. "Where is your base?"

The sisters glanced amongst themselves. Finally Karaberas shot him a slightly sad smile. "We can't answer that."

"Please," he begged, his face dropping its stone mask. The sisters gasped at his look of desperation. "Please, I have to know. Usagi-" His head sunk and his throat clenched in a barely contained sob. He could not make himself finish the sentence.

Petz's brow creased in worry. Something happened to Usagi? "Forgive us, Mamoru." She said, not unkindly. "It's not that we don't want to tell you. It's just…" She broke off into silence, her eyes staring into space. Something happened to Usagi? One of their saviors, one of the first to offer kindness in a world of darkness…

"We're not sure you'll believe us." Beruche finished for her sister, offering him a pitying smile.

Mamoru thought of Beryl's hideout at the North Pole, of the alien's alternate dimension in the back room of their apartment. "Try me."

"Well… we're from the future."

Mamoru's head shot up and he met Petz's wary gaze. That had been… unexpected. Waitaminute… If they were from the future… He turned to gaze sharply at Chibi-Usa. She offered him a saccharine smile.

"I'm in grade school." She pouted. "I didn't know if you'd believe me if I told you."

The future, huh? Well, if he had to go to the future to bring Usagi back then by God that's what he was gonna do. Only one problem…

"And how exactly do I get there?"

Beruche, easily the most psychic of the sisters, chewed her lower lip in thought. She wondered how tightly Mamoru was gripping his sanity; from what she could _see_ he was dangling off the brink of a dark chasm, barely holding on by his fingernails… She wondered if their next words would deprive him of his last shaky grip… She gathered her nerves and plunged ahead. "Don't know."

Before the storm could fully gather in his eyes, she rushed on. "We don't have access to that kind of power anymore. We _barely_ had access to it when we were with Nemesis."

Petz pulled herself out of her musing and nodded in agreement. Karaberas looked thoughtful for a moment before turning dark eyes on Chibi-Usa. "On Nemesis we heard stories of a device that could transport the guardians of Crystal Tokyo through space and time. Wise Man desperately wanted to get his hands on one."

Chibi-Usa gasped. "Of course." She lifted a necklace from beneath her shirt. On the delicate chain dangled… a key? "My time key can take us there." She turned pleading eyes on the sisters. "Do you think Usagi is there, in our time?"

Beruche glanced from the dark man to the small girl. Pain. Who knows where Usagi could be if the Dark Moon got a hold of her. But she could not bring herself to push the two fragile souls into darkness. "I'm sure she is." She offered them a small smile.

The door burst open. Cooan stumbled through and collapsed to the ground, disheveled and at the end of her energy. Everyone stood in shock and surprise.

"Cooan!" Petz cried, rushing to her sister's side. "The Dark Moon?"

A small groan floated up from the exhausted sales clerk. "So… many… shoppers. Help… me…"

Sighs of relief erupted around the room.

"Baka!" Karaberas snarled and kicked her sister lightly. "You scared the stuffing out of me!"

"Thanks for the help." Mamoru grabbed Chibi-Usa and bolted just as Cooan launched herself at her older sister. The door slammed behind him just as the first squawk of outrage rang out. A couple of polite 'excuse me's' and a few coos later Mamoru was once again standing on the streets of Juuban. He put Chibi-Usa down gently and fixed her with a stern glare. Anyone who glanced at them would have thought they were witnessing a parent scolding his child. If they had heard the conversation… Well… they might have called the crazy police. Or the tabloids. One of the two.

"We could have saved a lot of time if you'd just been honest with me from the beginning."

"I know." She replied softly, not able to meet his gaze. "But Puu said I shouldn't tell _anyone_ where I was from the future. I wanted to tell you!" She finished, fixing him with an earnest gaze. "But-"

He frowned again. Well, it was a lot to take in. "Chibi-Usa… Sailor Moon is important to me… to all of us. From now on, let's be honest so we can find her sooner…" Chibi-Usa nodded guiltily.

"Now," his focus shifted again to his mission. "Let's get the Senshi. I'm sure they'll want to come with us to get Usagi back."

Chibi-Usa wasn't sure but she might have heard a darkly muttered 'but Wise Man is _mine_.'

* * *

"Should we bring the cow or the lamb?" Jian perused the two animals, weighing his options. Kirari paused in stringing her bow to glance between the two animals. 

"Better bring the bull, just in case. It might be hungry."

Jian nodded and slipped the lead rope around the large animal's neck. He glanced at Miatsu, a wistful expression on his face. The way she bent to scoop the gold into the sack sent her hair whipping about her face so charmingly. He swallowed… and was jolted back into reality as a hand made contact with the back of his head.

"Pay attention to what you're doing." Kirari snapped, pointing at the bull who had wandered off in search of a playmate. Jian cursed and hefted his large sword across his shoulders. Miatsu looked up just in time to see him haring off after the surprisingly fast animal. She shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"He's so absentminded." She said to Kirari, cinching the sack and slinging it over her shoulder.

Miatsu rolled her eyes. "And you're so oblivious." She muttered under her breath setting her bow aside to fasten on her leather bracers.

The Elder appeared just as Jian caught the bull and began dragging it back to their impromptu party. He frowned at the large man, shaking his head. "Miatsu again?" he directed at the dark haired Huntress. Kirari smiled and nodded. Miatsu, once again, seemed completely oblivious to their short conversation as she turned to take protective amulets from a fellow shaman. She smiled brightly at her companions and handed them each a necklace.

"I guess that's it then." Kirari sighed, standing and brushing the dust from her breeches. The Elder took the lead rope from Jian and the larger man in turn set out into the forest, scouting ahead. Kirari rolled her shoulders in anticipation and leapt nimbly into the branches of the dark trees. The Elder paused to look at Miatsu.

"Do you feel anything? _Is_ this invader friendly?"

Miatsu frowned and shook her head. "I don't know. The pools have a way of hiding its inhabitants. Surely, though, it wouldn't have been bells if the creature in the forest is an invader."

The Elder frowned again. Once, long ago, the warnings had been wrong. The sound of bells had once cost the Elder a daughter and Shaman Tuon a mother. Perhaps this time would be as before…

Only one way to find out. He had not been made Elder for hanging back in cowardice. With the war raging and this the first line of defense, their people could not afford to ignore a potential ally. He steeled himself and stepped into the woods.

* * *

Usagi had spent a good thirty minutes wandering around and around the pools, looking for some sign of an exit. The trees stood tall and firm, trunk to trunk, the gaps much too narrow for her to squeeze through. Her first ring around the pools also cost her the entrance, for when she returned to the spot of the opening it was nowhere to be found. The next couple of minutes were spent alternating between sulking and wondering whether or not anyone would mind if she slipped into the springs. The latter quickly won out for sulking became tiresome quickly, especially when there was no one around to notice. The lack of exit made up her mind for her. No entrance meant no one could stumble upon her, right? Now there was only one more problem to contend with… 

Usagi hadn't known that it would be so difficult to peal herself out of her fuku. And it wasn't because of her wound. How had she never noticed the tightness of the blasted thing? And the complete and utter lack of zipper? Why couldn't it be made out of spandex? An image flashed across her mind of the scrapes and tears her uniform endured for her and she swallowed. Yeeeeeeah, maybe it was a good thing it wasn't spandex. Eventually she gave up trying to force the thing off her shoulders and sank into the water fully clothed.

Just as well, where there were hot springs there was often resorts, magical forest or not. She'd hate to have to explain to some magical concierge why she was lounging in his pool naked. There was one bright spot in her afternoon… it seemed her wound was closing up on its own. The blood had stopped spreading across her fuku.

Strange… healing or not, she still couldn't feel anything below the throb in her shoulder.

Thought fled as she sank into the water. Heat penetrated aching muscles and she hissed in pleasure as knots began relaxing, pains began fleeing. For the moment, she allowed herself to forget.

After what seemed an eternity a snarl in the woods startled her into alertness. Creaking filled the air and when her head turned to follow the noise she started in surprise. There, across the way, stood an exit framed lovingly by dripping moss and ivy. "Finally," she muttered. Perhaps that meant someone was approaching… She hoped that whatever it was, it wasn't the creature that had just made that violent snarl. She turned to clutch at the pool's rim to pull herself from the waters.

She paused.

She stopped completely.

And she stared at her left arm.

* * *

Jian held up a hand, signaling the others to stop. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck even as Kirari began shifting anxiously overhead. Miatsu's hand tightened around her belt knife. "Shiatsu." She murmured. She lunged at the Elder, shoving him out of the way just as the demon's large form sailed overhead. Jian's sword swung off his shoulders as fletching was pulled to Kirari's ear. 

"Wait!" Miatsu called as emotions bombarded her. She turned to stare into the wolf demon's eyes. The demon snarled.

Jian growled, knuckles whitening on the hilt of his sword.

"It was a warning." Miatsu said softly, eyes boring deeply into the young Shiatsu's eyes. "He's… protecting something... some_body_."

Kirari gasped. As a shaman, she knew that the creature in the forest was strong… but as a Huntress, she knew that for a Shiatsu, a wolf demon, harbinger of the Moon Goddess, to be protecting a different species, a species more powerful than its own…

Jian frowned. "The demon in the woods? The one that's been killing our protectors? Surely a demon that strong needs no bodyguard."

Miatsu frowned and shook her head, turning to look at her muscle bound companion. "No…. he showed me… _He's_ the one that's been killing the Guardians." She turned to stare in the direction of the Sacred Pools. "He showed me…" She trailed off, wondering how to phrase this.

The Shiatsu had been defeated in battle, so he thought, by a young woman… (Miatsu didn't really count getting conked on the head as the fierce battle he described, but demons or no, men will be men) As the strange stick had descended upon his head he felt a flash of power that had long been absent from their world. As the Shiatsu, Akki, he called himself, felt that power he felt the pull of allegiances he had thought long dissolved.

"It is no demon in our woods." Miatsu said softly.

"It is a Lunar." Kirari breathed, lowering herself from the branches, turning to look towards the Sacred Pools.

"Not demon," the Elder gaped in shock at his shamans. "But angel?"

"Creature right out of myth." Jian murmured, slinging the sword back over his shoulders. How could this be? It couldn't be possible…

The bull flicked his tail at a fly, ignorant of the fact that this knowledge extended his life greatly.

Kirari, Huntress, daughter of the moon, forged ahead, her face a picture of childlike wonder and giddiness. Miatsu was right behind her. Angels… the unicorn of Quartoth; every little girl's dream. The polar opposite of everything their world was made of. What girl in a demon infested world doesn't think of angels at least once in their life? And to see one? To be the first to see an angel after all these millennia?

The Elder hurried to catch up to them. Even men can dream of light in a world so full of darkness.

Jian, to his surprise, found himself sharing a glance with the Shiatsu. The wolf demon stretched lazily, almost appearing to shrug, before padding after the humans. "An angel…" Jian muttered to himself. What did this mean for Earth? For Quartoth?

* * *

Again. 

Punch.

Again.

Smack.

Again.

A pinch for good measure.

Nothing.

Her throat closed. Her eyes watered. With difficulty, she moved her arm through tufts of grass.

Nothing.

She concentrated, balling her hand into a fist, waiting to feel the familiar bite of nails into her palm. The fist, despite her furrowed brow, was loose at best and the sting of nail never came.

And it all came crashing down.

The strange landscape, the green sun, the moving trees… That strange wolf, those creepy sounds... And now this.

Her sobs were soft and forlorn. Never had she felt so utterly alone.

And that is how the shamans found her, their fallen angel.

* * *

Mamoru didn't know much about fire readings. Otherwise he might not have barged in, completely ruining all of Rei's careful preparation. Had he known, he might have been spared that statuette to the head. 

"Moron!" She shrieked. "It took me _hours_ to prepare for this! Now I'm going to have to-"

"We might have found Usagi." He interrupted smoothly, grabbing her arm before the statuette could come crashing down once more. The fight drained from the priestess and she slumped in relief. "Can you call the Senshi and have them meet us here?" She shook herself free from the taller man and nodded sharply, disappearing into her rooms, anxiety hurrying her steps. Who knows what sort of mess Usagi had gotten herself into by now.

* * *

Tears welled in Miatsu's eyes as her gaze fell on the pitiful creature. Her inner eye showed only purity and light, but her empathy told her this creature, this girl, was injured, alone, and terribly afraid. She thought again of the strange images she had been shown by the Shiatsu. She glanced at Kirari who was staring at the angel like a moon-struck lamb. It was Miatsu's strong gift of empathy that allowed her to communicate with the Guardians and the more intelligent of the demons. It was a gift not many shamans possessed. She intercepted Kirari before the younger girl could head towards the crumpled form. 

"She's crying." She said softly, tugging gently on her companion's arm, holding her back.

The Elder slowed to a halt behind them. He glanced in confusion at the small girl lying by the pool. The Elder, while a natural born leader, did not have the gift of sight; he was no shaman. He could not see the aura around the girl. "Is that her?" He murmured in question. He pushed aside disappointment; he had hoped she'd have wings. Kirari nodded, her gaze still soft, almost slack.

Jian chose that moment to stumble in like an ox. Followed by a bull that didn't do much better. The Shiatsu strolled in with a lazy grace and padded to the small girl who was now painfully aware that she was not alone. Usagi wiped roughly at her moist cheeks and stood slowly, staring first at the creature and then at the people in surprise.

The shamans waited with baited breath.

"Do you work at the hotel?"

* * *

The afternoon sun bathed them all in gold. 

"The future?" Ami asked thoughtfully. While improbable, that _would_ explain why she hadn't been able to find Usagi with her computer.

"Before we go, maybe we should know what we're getting ourselves into." Rei, ever the voice of reason, spoke into the silence.

Chibi-Usa nodded, took a deep breath and launched into her tale. "In the future, I live in the city of Crystal Tokyo. Crystal Tokyo is the ruling seat of the world. My parents are the Queen and King of Crystal Tokyo." She paused to take in the effect of her words.

Makoto and Minako choked on their tea. Ami still looked thoughtful. Interesting phrasing; 'my parents are the queen and king…' Normally people said king before queen. Ami wondered if that was of some importance. Rei just waited calmly for information that could help her help Usagi.

"A couple of months ago, the Black Moon family appeared and began attacking our city. Mommy told me to never leave the palace on my own…" Chibi-Usa stopped, her shoulders slumping, guilt written across her features. "I just wanted to help." She whispered brokenly to herself. "But the ginzuishou…"

The Senshi gaped at Chibi-Usa. It was common knowledge that she had been after Usagi's silver crystal… but there was one in the future as well? Maybe Usagi's descendants were…

"My mom was attacked by the Black Moon and the Senshi encased her in crystal to protect her…" Chibi-Usa chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "But something went wrong and now she won't wake up. And the Senshi are pouring all their energy into the shields, so… My dad always told me stories about Sailor Moon. I thought if anyone could save my mommy…"

There were other Senshi in the future as well. It was kind of comforting, knowing that there would be protectors on Earth, even when they were gone.

Makoto cracked her knuckles. "So, basically we're walking into a war zone. The powers of good have no hand to play. I take it this future Tokyo of yours has been evacuated?"

Chibi-Usa nodded sadly. It had been hard watching her friends board the shuttles and leave. Harder still to run away from her parents before they could send her away as well… She had only wanted to help…

"That's all I need to know." Makoto said grimly. "Anything that moves, I'm gonna fry." Rei and Minako nodded in agreement.

"So, how do we get there?" Minako asked, putting down her tea, her face a mask of determination.

"We have to go to the park."

"Where you first appeared?" Mamoru asked.

Chibi-Usa nodded.

"Let's go."

* * *

"You know? Resort? Hotel? I thought with the hot springs…" She trailed off. 

"Hot springs?" The older man seemed scandalized. "These are no mere hot springs! They are the _Sacred Pools_ of our village… of this entire region! Surely you know-"

"She doesn't." The older women (and by old, Usagi meant Mamoru's age) pushed long brown hair back from her face as she stared intently at Usagi. "She's… not from around here."

The old man stopped his ranting and peered again at Usagi. She shifted uncomfortably under his intense scrutiny. _Something on my face?_ That couldn't be it… he kept staring over her shoulder with a searching look. Then the women's words registered.

"How did you know that?" She asked, eyes wide with wonder. Perhaps this girl had a strong sixth sense, like Rei. "Do you know where I'm from? Where am I?"

"You're in the middle of Quang-ho Forest." The younger women with dark hair supplied, her face still dreamy. She made Usagi almost as uncomfortable as the old man.

Quang-ho? Didn't sound Japanese… Surely, though, she was still in Japan. "Is… is Tokyo anywhere near here?" She hazarded hopefully.

All four people looked at her, actually _looked_ at her, and their bland expressions could not hide the keen interest gleaming in their eyes.

"Why on earth would _you_ want to go to Tokyo?" The old man asked.

"I'm from there," she replied simply. "So Tokyo is near here? Is there a bus… or maybe just a phone. I don't have a lot of money so I'll probably have to call my parents…"

Usagi had been fixed by blank stares many a time, but usually there were Youma involved in those situations. Looks of confusion regarding a _phone_ was certainly a new one.

The older lady shook her head and gave Usagi a knowing, sad look. But what exactly did she know? "Maybe we should take you back to our village." The women supplied softly. "We can all sit down… It'll be more comfortable… easier to take in…"

Easier to take in what, exactly?

"You don't think she was actually _in_ the Pools do you?" She heard the old man mutter to his companions.

She blushed scarlet.

* * *

"Why the docks?" 

"Puu says some places are thinner than others." Chibi-Usa did not elaborate on her statement and everyone else felt too strange to ask. Was this really happening?

The small girl lifted the key high into the air and the Senshi tensed as they felt a hush descend upon the world.

"God of Time! Open the gate in the sky! Allow us passage to the Door of Time!"

The sky darkened ominously as the wind whipped fukus and cape around tense bodies, its roar almost deafening. In the darkness a cloud opened up and a beam of light descended upon them, almost blinding. They were lifted slowly into the air…

And stopped a few feet above the ground.

"No," Chibi-Usa said softly at first and then her words become louder, harsher, stronger. "No, no, no! Puu! Puu, please! We have to save Usagi!"

And abruptly everything went grey.

Six thuds, followed by six groans, filled the air. The warriors pulled themselves from the hard ground, not allowing themselves much time for the rubbing of bruised anatomy. This place was quiet and creepy and more than a little scary. The gray mist was cold and dank, the haze obscuring all visibility past a couple of feet.

It didn't exactly scream of welcome.

"Small Lady… I heard your call."

A figure stepped from the obscurity, the mists seeming to part for her, and the warriors gasped. Another Senshi? She was older and lovely, waves of long green hair framing her face. A tall staff was clenched in her fist, a large garnet balanced precariously amongst intricate scrollwork at its top. She was like nothing they had seen before.

The older women smiled at their group, giving a nod to their unspoken question. "I am Sailor Pluto, the guardian of time. And I know why you're here." Her brow furrowed and the next words seemed to pain her. "But this is where I turn you back."

"No!" Chibi-Usa gasped, attaching herself to the tall woman's skirt. "But Puu, why? We have to look for Usagi!"

Pluto's hand clenched around the time staff and she forced herself to take a calming breath. She spared a glance at Tuxedo Kamen. This was not easy for her. "She is not in the future, little one." She offered Small Lady a kindly smile. "And she is not in the past. She is nowhere within my realm of influence."

"She can't be _outside_ time." Mamoru interjected harshly. "I saw her. It was morning and she was in the middle of tall grass… She has to be _somewhere_."

"Indeed," Pluto replied smoothly, letting his anger roll off of her. "She is somewhere. She just isn't some_time_… at least not in _my_ time."

"I don't understand." Ami spoke for them all.

Pluto tapped the edge of her staff against her foot and an image of Earth appeared floating overhead.

"This is Earth. Our Earth. The dimension of Earth that we live in, I should say."

"You mean like the third dimension?" Makoto asked, her brain trying to dredge up science and math from cobwebbed corners.

"Not exactly. Our world is 3-d, yes, but that is not the same context as of what I speak." A hazy earth appeared to the clear one. "This is another dimension of earth. At some point in time, on _this _planet, something occurred to alter its course from ours…"

Ami was the only one who appeared to be gleaning anything from Pluto's explanation.

Pluto sighed.

"You watch movies, don't you? This really shouldn't be a new concept…"

Something seemed to click in Minako's head. "Oooh. An infinite number of dimensions for an infinite number of possibilities…"

"Exactly." Pluto nodded. "I'm not saying that the death of a butterfly would alter the flow of history… but think of the many different ways a war could have ended… History would be irrevocably changed and some dimensions reflect that. Some dimensions are similar to ours, some vastly different. In some, the Silver Alliance is still going strong. In others, the Silver Alliance never existed. _We_ never existed."

"And you are only the Guardian of Time for this dimension, not for them all? That's why you can't take us to her?" Ami asked.

Pluto nodded again. "I'm a guardian of time, not of reality. Being outside of time, however, I can see more than others. Plus I have had many years to learn…. new things… Two thousand years ago, I knew nothing of other dimensions… Now, I occasionally contact my alternate personalities for advice." She turned heavy, sad eyes on them and sympathy flashed through the party. Two thousand years?

Pluto chafed under their pitying gazes. Her face turned hard and stern, her voice bordering on lecturing. "It is an honor to protect the Door of Time. I know our history like the back of my hand. Better, even. I know the ins and outs of time from the birth of our universe to its end." She paused here, appearing to consider her next words carefully. After a moment she made up her mind and told them all. "Usagi was _not_ supposed to be taken. She is supposed to become the savior of the world and lead its people into a golden age. She was to be Queen of Crystal Tokyo."

Jaws dropped open. Eyes popped. Chibi-Usa staggered back and away from the Guardian of Time. _How could I have not known? My own mother?_

Mamoru stared hard at Chibi-Usa his emotions flickering rapidly between pain and wonder. That means then-

"Usagi… is my mother?" The girl whispered. Mamoru winced. But who was the father?

Makoto thought her jaw might unhinge.

"And you of course are her father." Pluto supplied with a pitying gaze at Tuxedo Kamen. It was a lot to take in. She didn't envy him. Chibi-Usa turned red-brown eyes on her newly discovered parent. She collapsed against his legs with a wail, holding him tightly.

Mamoru sagged in relief. For a minute he had been afraid, so afraid…

But he had always sort of known hadn't he? That he'd had some strange connection to the little girl? In the back of his mind, hadn't he always known that he'd find his way back to his Usako? Now with that knowledge crystallized into the form of one small girl he let elation fill him. Never alone. Never alone again. Only Usagi. Usagi, and now Chibi-Usa. His family.

"That also means Usagi will be back." Ami nodded happily to herself. "Chibi-Usa wouldn't exist if Usagi was gone for good." Chibi-Usa blanched at that thought. Mamoru hefted the girl easily, holding her close as his brain rushed to try and take in everything that was being said.

"But when? When will she back?" Rei spoke up.

"I don't know." Pluto frowned again. "I _am_ the guardian of time, but the Ways have been closed to me. Anything after now, the exact moment we're living in, and the Time Gate flickers too violently to watch or to travel in. In truth, even if Usagi were in the future I wouldn't send you, because I don't know where or what you would end up as."

"If Usagi wasn't supposed to be taken-" Minako trailed off, unable to properly put voice to her confusion.

"Someone screwed up." Pluto replied flatly, gazing at the two images of Earth, one bright and green, one washed out, continents large and dry. "It's almost like someone took one of the other dimensions and jammed it together with ours… The time gate is reflecting the stress of that… Eventually it will stabilize and the future will be a true meshing of the two different possibilities."

"I take it this has happened before?" Makoto asked.

"No, that was just a guess, really."

Everyone sweatdropped.

"Well," Pluto went on defensively. "It's not flickering nearly as violently as when Usagi was first taken."

Rei stared hard at the images floating overhead. "That Earth? Usagi is there?"

Pluto nodded. "I saw that much at least. I caught a glimpse of her path as she was thrown through the vortex. I haven't been able to see her since. Every time I look, I'm looking at a different period of history. I can't pinpoint her. And there is no Sailor Pluto in that dimension so I have no one to contact for help."

"What happened differently?" Rei asked softly. "What happened to deviate that dimension from ours?"

"The Moon Kingdom was destroyed." Pluto replied. "But not quite in the same way…"

"So what happened?"

"It's a long story…"

"I want to know what Usagi is facing right now." Rei replied stubbornly, jutting out her chin.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but I don't think you'll like it…"

End Chappie 3

A/N: Future chappies I might stick wholly with either Usagi or the Senshi or at the very least try tonot switch back and forthas much. Don't know, haven't decided. I was planning on writing more for this chapter, but I figured 22 pages was good 'nough. I really like them complex, weavy, twisty, turn-ny plots. Be prepared for a buncha information.


	4. Chapter 4

Duck Tape Reality

Chapter 4

Duck Tape Strikes Again.

Seamagik

The first two versions of this chappie were really long winded creation stories. And while I marveled at my complex mythology and how I cunningly tied the earth and the moon together I came to one sad conclusion... Given my own extremely short attention span, could I really expect others to stick around through 20 pages of tangled stories? Gawrsh durn. Well, that and I lost the first two chapters to computer crashes and I could never quite recreate it as well as it had originally been written. Tee-hee. SO! Skipping that, for now anyway (until my ego has been rebuilt), and continuing on to plot line.

This chappie is light and short. Thought I should put something out there so you'd know I was still alive.

* * *

"Demons." Pluto said simply. 

"I beg your pardon."

"Demons," repeated Pluto in a louder voice. Really, they were younger than her, shouldn't their senses be a wee bit sharper?

"No," Mercury shook her head. "I heard you the first time. It's just... demons? Youma?"

Pluto made a strange, laughing, and slightly strangled sound. "Youma? My dear girl, Youma are no more demons than humans are apes."

"Meaning?"

"Youma are the results, in this world anyway, of thousands of years of evolution and interspecies breeding. Full fledged demons, in this world, were eradicated by the Moon Kingdom. Only a handful of their progeny survived the Great Cleansing."

_A handful?_ Minako mouthed to Makoto disbelief. They had certainly fought more than a _handful_ of Youma.

"Great Cleansing?" Mamoru asked.

"An ancient ritual... The earth was once almost overrun by demons and the goddess Selene used the ginzoushou to crystallize them. Most of the crystals turned to dust and floated away on the wind."

"Most of 'em? What happened to the demons who didn't disintegrate?"

"Well... some of them turned into other things as time went by. Rock here, mountain there, expensive diamond on some lady's finger... it happens."

"So if that happened here," Minako drawled. "What happened there?"

"Well... Selene and Mother Earth had a little bit of a spat." At the blank stares, Pluto sighed. Whomever had thought that being mentor to teenagers was Setsuna's calling had obviously royally screwed up. Emphasis on the royal part. Damn Serenity for sticking her here.

"Once upon a time, Earth and Selene were lovers. So says the myth of that Earth. The story goes that Earth became angry when Selene decided to create a race, the Lunars, without her. In turn, Selene became enraged when her lover refused to give her children a blessing and turned her face away from Earth. So she didn't see when Earth became overrun by demons and humans were forced to flee into the hills. When she turned to face Earth once more, she was met with a vastly changed landscape...

"Demons ruled over the Earth on whim and passion alone. They changed their surroundings to suit their needs. Whole cities were submerged by water demons. Forests sprouted overnight where once fertile farmland sustained villages. Most demons, however, loved the heat and dryness that Earth is not well-known for. Overnight most of the Earth had turned to rolling desert and barren grassland. Worst of all, demons had no need for Earth's most beloved of children: the humans. At best they were looked upon as a food source. At worst, the particularly canny demons enslaved them. The humans that were not eaten or enslaved fled into the night. Today they exist in small pockets and almost always under the protection of powerful demons."

"But I thought the demons didn't like humans!" Minako interjected.

"Well, most of them didn't, because back then humans held all the power. Now it is a completely different story. A couple hundred years ago humans were declared an endangered species by the Demon Council of Quartoth. Many demons feel they are doing a great service by accepting villages into their patronage. Granted just like game hunters and endangered species here on earth, you get the occasional rogue demon who thinks there is great sport on killing a species on the brink of extinction...I heard somewhere that some think ground up human teeth acts as a powerful aphrodisiac."

The Senshi looked ill.

"Please, never say that again. Not if you want your floor to remain gray and dry." Makoto muttered.

Setsuna looked only vaguely apologetic. "Moving on, Selene sent the Lunars to Earth to fight the demons. Naturally, they were grossly outnumbered and they fought on the losing side of a large war for many thousands of years. The last Lunar died out nearly six thousand years ago. Long before the Silver Alliance even had a shot at getting started. Usagi's grandmother was the very last Lunar to die. Serenity's family line always was the strongest..." There was a hint of pride in Pluto's voice.

"But Usagi.. that is, Princess Serenity only died 2,000 years ago."

"Give or take a couple of years, yes."

"But her grandmother... who would've been her grandmother, on that world... died 6,000 years ago?"

"Yep. In our reality she was just about ready to retire when Usagi was born. That was about... I dunno, 3,000 years ago. Queen Serenity did marry rather late for a Lunar..."

Mamoru's sharp inhalation was all the exclamation anyone needed to make.

"So, if Endymion and Serenity would have lived..." Ami said slowly.

"Princess Serenity would have had to watch her husband, her children... all of her descendants, really... She would have watched them all die." This statement was offered with a casual coolness that almost made Mamoru want to hate Setsuna. If it weren't for the sympathy shining in her red eyes he very well might have.

"Woah," Makoto said unnecessarily. "that sucks..." She tried but could only dredge up a weak laugh. "I guess it's a good thing she died and was reborn human."

Pluto looked strangely ill but said nothing. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, "Riiiiight. Good thing, that... Yes, most defiantly..." Before Mercury could voice the suspicion on her face, Pluto rushed along with her story. "Anyway, on Quartoth, Usagi never came to be. Mamoru's line was killed off as well. His was a long line of warriors and they could not stand up to the multitudes of demons. You girls...You all existed on your own respective planets, but with no Silver Alliance... with no Princess Serenity... Well, you died many thousands of years ago. And you stayed dead."

Minako looked extremely uneasy. Her words confirmed her unhappy expression. "I feel an existential crisis coming on."

"Do you even know what that means?" Rei scoffed, flicking long, raven hair over a shoulder.

Minako didn't even dignify that with a response, but she did shoot a very nasty death-glare at the Senshi of Fire.

"Wait a minute! If we died of old age... then what about you?" Minako's eyes were sparkling. She seemed at the brink of some great precipice. Ami thought in passing that the precipice might be sanity itself.

"The keeping of the Time Gate is a great honor to have bestowed upon you." Pluto's words were a bit wry and more than a little rehearsed. "But with no Serenity to do the bestowing, well. In that reality, I've been dead just as long as you have."

"Then how do you know this world's history?"

Pluto looked a little sheepish. "There's another Earth called Pink Bunny. It's about 10 realities away from us."

"Pink Bunny!" Makoto laughed. Her laughter died when Pluto shot her a pained look.

"Usagi inherited her powers at the age of 4 on that world and inadvertently took over the earth. You... don't really want to know. It's actually a little depressing. Anyway, on that world I exist. That me happens to have a pen pal on Quartoth called Baba. That's the only reason I know that Usagi is on Quartoth. He says a major influx of pure power popped onto his world yesterday. He sent out a couple of lackeys and the person near the site of the energy fluctuation... well, it matches Usagi's description." Pluto trailed off into deep thought. One day she was going to have to ask her Pink Bunny self how you pen palled with denizens of other realities. It was getting a little boring around here... Well, it had been until someone up and tried to change history.

"So, you mean to tell me that Usagi is alone and injured on an Earth overrun by demons?" Mamoru's voice was sharp in the silence.

"Exactly!" Pluto exclaimed happily. She hadn't been sure any of them had actually been following along.

"Crap." Rei muttered.

Pluto nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly. Don't worry though, once we told Baba she was who I was looking for, he started keeping a closer eye on her. I've been receiving periodic updates from him. Last I heard she was well on her way towards a relatively peaceful human settlement. Now, the only problem is that other demons may be on the lookout for her as well. Here's to hoping that no demons know what the power of a Lunar feels like."

"You mean a human, right?"

"Riiiiiiiiiiight."

* * *

"I'm telling you Steve, it was totally a Lunar signature." The one with scales insisted. 

The large, red, horned demon shook his head in disgust. "Hey, Jimbo! Come talk to Carl! He thinks that tasty power we felt yesterday was a Lunar."

Jimbo laughed and pulled himself from his card game. One tentacle kept the cards close, though. Never knew who might try to cheat when you weren't looking. "He talking about Lunars again?"

One of the players at the table looked up in surprise, dark eyes narrowing.

"Man, keep your voice down." Steve shushed.

"Don't call me a man." Jimbo warned, tentacles swaying in angry warning.

"Sorry, picked it up from some of the ranch hands. Anyway, tell Carl that it weren't no Lunar we felt."

"No way!" Jimbo cried. "Lunars have a very evil aura. Like, the evil rolls off of them in waves, y'know? We would have _known_ if it was a Lunar."

"Besides," he continued, enjoying his spot as the 'voice of knowledge and experience' and not willing to give it up quite yet. "The Council would have made some official statement by now about how we should all _remain calm_."

"Maybe that's it!" Carl cried, near hysterics. "Maybe they're not saying anything because they think we'll panic."

"Well, if you're any indication, they probably have the right idea... Not that it's a Lunar, of course."

The dark eyed, shadowed figure crept into their circle. The three demons jumped in surprise as the a form materialized from the dark shadows it held cloaked around its bodies. "Did my ears deceive me?" It hissed at them. "Did I hear you speaking of... Lunars?"

"You ain't got no ears." Steve muttered under his breath.

The dark demon chose not to acknowledge the other's comment. No good would come of spilling blood. Plus, with the Council's recent ban on public dueling, he could be charged a hefty fine.

Carl nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Didn't you feel that power yesterday? It _had_ to be a Lunar!"

Jimbo used one of his smaller tentacles to crack his friend across the back of the head. "Don't listen to him, Marik. He doesn't know what he's talking about. One of those kooks who believes in aliens, you know?"

"I felt no power..." Marik hissed to himself, drawing the shadows tightly around his body. A Lunar? He hadn't killed a Lunar in thousands of years. Had forgotten even what the foul beasts looked like. He searched his memory but all he could see were outstretched wings backlit by a setting sun. A Lunar, eh? This demanded investigation.

As Marik disappeared into the unnatural darkness Steve let out a pent up breath of relief. And then he whirled on his friend. "Moron! Why'da go mentioning a Lunar around a gosh'durn _Kralik_ demon for? Don't you know them's the meanest hunters around? They's the ones who keep getting slapped down by the Council for hunting humans."

"I thought you said it wasn't a Lunar." Carl replied smugly, his scales glinting brightly in vindicated glory.

"Tweren't no Lunar! Lunars' been dead for thousands of years! But whatever it is, you can bet your best buddies that the entire _Kralik_ clans' gonna be rootin' for it. Almost feel sorry for it, whatever it is..." Steve trailed off as his attention was caught by one of Jimbo's tentacles. "Hey, hey Jimbo! What's that there thing on you?"

"Eh?" Jimbo looked down, spreading out his lovely lavender tentacles so he could better examine them.

"I got it!" Carl cried excitedly, ripping the strange, flat, silver-ish material from the end of a little noticed appendage.

Jimbo let out a squeak of pain. "That hurt!" He accused with four narrowed eyes pointed in Carl's direction as he rubbed the spot that was rapidly turning scarlet.

"Whad'joo think it is?" Steve questioned, poking the material with a fork from the table.

"Dunno." Carl said calmly before he could no longer contain his glee and let out a happy cackle. "Look, though. This side is shiny and smooth, but _this_ side," he flipped the thing over for emphasis. "this side is all sticky." He stuck it to the wall in demonstration and there it stayed. The three demons oooo'ed in wonder.

"I dunno why," Jimbo said into the silence. "but I'm suddenly reminded that one of my mothers is on the Council. Haven't spoken to her in a couple hundred years." He glanced at Steve, keeping two eyes firmly on the magic paper stuck to the wall. Didn't want to miss it if the thing suddenly ker-fizzled or something. "Think I should mention that _Kralik_ thing to her?"

Steve ignored Carl's emphatic head shaking and nodded. "It was the first thing I felt with that kinda signature. Maybe it's a new species. Council will probably want to put it on the endangered species list until it's established itself. Wouldn't do for it to be snuffed out by one of them _Kralik_ fellows."

Jimbo, ever the advocate of endangered species, (hey, he'd been there for the Great Human Rally of '72, right?) nodded grimly. Yup, if Kralik's were ready to go a'huntin, the Council definitely needed to know.

Later that day, Jimbo sent out nets in his seer's bowl. His mother caught it, surprisingly not in a Council meeting for the first time in days.

"Which one are you?" She squinted all of her eyes at him.

"Jimbo...er... Jim." He supplied nervously. Of all his mothers she'd had always been the most stringent.

"Ah, Jim." She replied sagely. "It's so hard to tell sometimes, you look just like your brother."

"Which one?"

"All of them. So, tell me, what decided to make you Net me for the first time in 200 years, 65 days, and 13 hours?"

"Gee, mom, has it been that long?" He laughed sheepishly, scratching at the back of his large head. "My how the time flies..."

"Indeed." She returned sourly and he felt the guilt begin to gnaw at him. Better change the subject, and fast...

"Well, Mom, it's like this..." And he told her all about the power he'd felt and the _Kralik_'s keen interest in that same power.

"A Shadow Demon after a rare species?" His mother replied indignantly. "I think not! Thank you, Jim. I shall call the Council to chambers immediately!"

He blushed in pleasant surprise. She hadn't said something so kind to him in over 300 years.

"We'll talk later about your friends..." She warned and his pleasure evaporated. "No son of mine will be hanging out with a _Mishkayu_ and a low level water demon if I can help it."

"What's that mom?" He asked, as he used a tentacle to shake the water bowl. "You're breaking up... Mom... Mom? I'll call you later, Mom!"

He ignored her squawks of protest and pulled the silver netting from the bowl with a sigh. If he was lucky he could go another 200 years without speaking to another parent. He burgeoned with pride as he thought of what'd he done... He couldn't wait to tell Cynthia! She'd always been a sucker for animal activists. This time he would score a date for sure.

* * *

Over the hills and far away, Usagi stepped from the forest into the light of day. She blinked against the harsh, green light, raising her good arm to shield her eyes. She felt herself yearning for the soft light of the forest. Thankfully the temperature remained moderate. Her attention shifted outward. A small village lay spread out before her. A farming village. A farming village where apparently technology had yet to reach if that outhouse over there was any indication. No wonder they'd looked so confused when she'd mentioned a telephone. The houses here were little more than huts and the men and women in the fields were working with their hands, of all things. Usagi hadn't known that places like this still existed on earth... well, in any places besides 3rd world countries, that is. To think of people living like this in modern day Japan! It was... well... it was unthinkable! 

Her four companions formed a moving shield around her as eyes began to swing from their work to the newcomers. Old Man was in front and Big Man in back, with Hunter Girl and Rei Wannabee to each side. They ushered her down the dirt path, stopping for no one, coming close to walking right over a few people who tried to stand in their way and ask questions.

Something was burning against her neck. No, it was more like a feeling of being watched. She glanced to the side in time to see a tall, dark haired man scowl at her and slip away through the shadows. Great, someone who hated her already. Now what'd she do? She glanced around and saw mothers hurriedly covering young children's eyes and popping husbands whose eyes lingered to long. For the first time, Usagi took in their mode of dress.

Then she looked down at her fuku.

Wow.

This was going to be a fun day.


	5. Chapter 5

Duck Tape Reality

Seamagik

Chapter 5.0, Home Edition. Only not likely to crash and destroy your literary life.

A/N:

BWAHAHAHA! I love you, Meara. Princess-MoonBunny and moongirl818, you get some love too, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for evil laughter.

Only problem is I'm tempted to spill future plot line. RESIST SELF, RESIST! Nyah. I resisted. Guess you'll find out everything the SLOW way (i.e. actually being forced to read the damn thing. MUAHAHAHAHHAHAH)

----

Usagi was ushered into a hut much larger than others. It screamed 'hut of prominence,' what with the billowing banners and it's place of pride atop a small rise. The village elder's hut, most definetly. And if Usagi had had any money, she would have bet it all on Old Man being the elder, leader, or whatever. Big kahoona, as it were.

"So, now that we're all here," Old Man said, still glancing over her shoulder periodically, "maybe we should make introductions."

"Maybe you should leave." Rei Wannabee retaliated, and then blushed as Big Man's jaw dropped open. She gentled her response. "I mean... I believe the... umm... the girl... is injured. Kirari and I will examine the wound. And from what Akki showed me, the girl will need rest as well."

Okay, so Hunter Girl was named Kirari. One down, three to go. But who was Akki? And what had he showed Rei Wannabee?

A cold, wet nose touched her neck and she shrieked in shock. All present winced in unison. Usagi turned and once again there was that large, hungry looking dog eyeing her. The one she'd bopped on the head pretty good.

"It's just Akki." Rei Wannabee supplied when her ears stopped ringing. "Just your guardian." She added with a raised eyebrow.

My guardian? Usagi thought to herself. Catching the queer looks on the others faces she wisely kept her mouth shut, mostly, anyway. "Right. Akki. Good ole' Akki. Wondered where he'd gotten too..." She flashed them a dazzling smile, as if the whiteness of her teeth could erase their memories of the utter look of confusion that had been displayed so prominently on her face. It seemed to work because they all visibly relaxed. Neat-o.

"Right, now. Men, out." Kirari pointed at the wide opening. The two men shuffled out. Old Man glanced back at Usagi one last time, before shaking his head with what looked to be disapointment creasing his face. How rude. Too bad he didn't seem as free-spirited as Rei's Grandpa or she would have told him so as well.

"You too." Kirari scowled at the big dog thing. He opened his mouth in what could only be described as the wolf version of a lopsided grin. Eyes twinkling, he sauntered out of the hut and plopped himself outside the door, in an expression of guarded indifference. That is, _I don't want to be here but if you get too close I'll bite you anyway. _Kirari rolled her eyes and closed the flap to the hut.

"Now... if you could remove your... covering... thing."

Usagi nodded stiffly, pulling herself slowly out of the wet jean jacket. The green shirt she'd wrapped about her wound was not soaked through with blood, to her relief. In fact, there was barely any at all she noted happily as she unwoud the light cotton overshirt. Now there was just the ever difficult fuku to contend with. Maybe she should just de-hensin. A shudder wracked through her body as the memory of pain overwhelmed her senses... Who knew what other repercussions were to be had...

"Well? Get on with it girl..." Rei Wannabee prodded, not unkindly.

Blushing, Usagi nodded once more. Only thing around something unpleseant... She released her grip on power and felt the transformation slip away. She blinked. Well, that was unexpected.

She'd expected to immediatly fall to the floor, unconscious, as her non-super body succumbed to exhaustion. Granted, the dizziness was almost overwhelming, and she'd had to sit down... very suddenly... but she was still very much awake. And in pain... eh, not so much. Throbbing, but even that was diminishing.

Rei Wannabee was staring at her in shocked surprise. "What'd you do to your aura?" she demanded.

"And your clothes?" Kirari added, taking in the girls' skirt and camisole.

"It's hard to explain."

"Don't bother." Kirari said gently, focusing on the puncture wound on Usagi's shoulder. "We know a spell when we see one."

"I've just never seen one powerful enough to disguise an aura so completely." Rei Wannabee muttered under her breath. If she hadn't witnessed the transformation she would have sworn that this girl was human. In fact, hadn't seen the surge of power rise up so suddenly to coccoon the girl, she wouldn't have even known that she and the creature in the wood were the same person. Powerful magic, indeed.

As she had no idea what that meant, Usagi chose to disregard it all together.

"What was that?" Jian burst in. "I felt a massive power flux..." he trailed off and peered at Usagi in confusion. "Ummm... who's this? Where'd the other one go?"

"Same girl, strong magic." Rei Wannabee supplied.

"Disguise magic." Usagi supplied. "Comes with being Sailor Moon."

"What about the spell that's on you now?" Kirari asked. No surprise altered her face at the Usagi's utterance. Was Usagi even in Japan anymore? _Everyone _in Japan knew who Sailor Moon was. Wait a minute... spell?

"What spell?" Usagi and Jian asked at the same time.

"What? You don't see it, Jian?" Kirari demanded, waving a pointed finger at Usagi's form. Usagi ducked to avoid a finger to the eye. "But you're so good as seeing the Weaves!"

"Don't see any Weaves..." he trailed off and finally took in Usagi's clothing. He blushed scarlet and muttered a hasty excuse before slipping back out of the hut, throwing the flap down behind him. Outside, they could hear him stammering to the Elder that all was well.

"He thinks you're in your undergarments." Kirari supplied with a grin. "Woo! He's never going to live that one down."

"The fuku is much smaller than what I'm wearing now." Usagi dead panned.

"Yes, but he knows the costume of a warrior when he sees one. This... is slightly different." Rei Wannabee chuckled, her back to Usagi as she crouched near the fire. "By the way..." She said, standing. "I'm Miatsu," she turned to face Usagi, a long, red hot pin held gently between slim fingers. "And this... is probably going to hurt."

Usagi began to wish that she really had fainted. She swallowed hard and shut her eyes. The pin sliding into her wound wasn't what did it. The sizzle of flesh is what finally made her shriek.

---

Baba took his paws down slowly from his ears, his wince easing away. What in all the nine hells was that? Under normal circumstances, Baba was far from jumpy, the soul of dignified calm, but travelling all night, through the god forsaken Forest Barrier no less, had frayed his nerves. Plus he was hungry. And that shriek, cry, death yell, whatever, had effectively taken a sledge hammer to his last pillar of calm. Sailor Pluto soooooooo owed him after this.

He broke through the trees, finally, and found himself rather abruptly in the middle of a field. Full of villagers. With pitchforks.

Crap.

---

"What do you see?" Kirari asked, leaning over her friend's shoulder, eyes wide with curiosity.

Miatsu only barely stomped on the irritation that rose to overtake her. "I don't know. It's hard to concentrate with someone breathing in my ear." She replied in barely concealed annoyance. Usagi started at the thick, raspy, almost echoing voice that came out of the woman's mouth. Kirari, noticing her surprise, shifted her attention away from her friend and settled next to the girl in order to explain.

"Miatsu is part fire demon." She began without preamble. "She's the great granddaughter of a priestess who was offered to a Charuga as a kinda sacrifice. Without her consent, of course." Usagi's eyes widened in horror and Kirari rushed to confirm what she had thought had horrified the girl. "Not a virgin sacrifice or anything. They fully expected the Charuga to eat her actually." She smiled, but it dropped when she saw that did little to abet the horror on the girl's face.

"Turns out Charuga's enjoy music more then the blood of maidens." Miatsu continued for the Huntress, her face tight with concentration. "Only the villagers didn't know that when they trussed my grandmother up and offered her to him. Oddly enough, the only reason he'd even come near the village was because he'd heard her singing. So when he asked the humans to bring him the girl he'd heard singing... well... confusion was had. He was so horrified when he learned that they expected him to eat her, he offered her to take her away from the 'barbarous backwoods' as he termed it. Seeing as how her own husband had tied her up for sacrifice she was only happy to go with him to the city."

"The city?" Usagi perked up. "Tokyo?" She asked, hopefully. The whole demon thing was a little confusing, but who knew what existed in the backwoods of Japan. Her one summer vacation by the beach with Ami and Reihad been odd enough.

Again, the two women shared a hooded glance. "No. Neo Tokyo, actually. built a couple hundred miles north of the old Tokyo."

Neo Tokyo? Populated by demons? Usagi felt the idea vaguely nauseating. "What are you talking about? There is no Neo Tokyo."

Miatsu abruptly slid the pin out of Usagi's arm. Usagi didn't even flinch, her gaze was so intent. Miatsu had half hoped that these questions could be avoided, at least for now. What she'd seen in Akki's mind... the black vortex opening, the girl being dumped into the plains... It was almost unbelievable. If the girl was truly not of _this_ world... well... that was a conversation she wasn't looking forward to.

"Nerve damage" Miatsu declared, hoping the change in subject would do the trick. "Now Usagi, there are two main nerves in your shoulder that travel to your arm. The medial and lateral thoracic. The lateral has been severed and the medial damaged."

Usagi's questions disappeared in her mind. "What... what does that mean?"

"That means I'm beyond confused as to how you're managing to move your arm at all."

---

"Now now, ummm, human man-"

"I'm a woman!" The woman (really, it was so hard to tell sometimes) shouted, waving the pitchfork menacingly.

"Oh dear." Baba murmured.

"Calm down, Liah. I'll take care of this." A youth laid a gentle hand upon the taller women's shoulder. The woman, still glaring suspiciously at Baba grumbled something beneath her breath, but turned back to her work.

"Now, demon-"

"I'm not a demon." Baba interrupted, affronted. "I'm a forest sprite."

"Show you how it feels-" Liah mumbled.

"Fine, fine-" Baba waved off the fairly obvious, in his mind, differences between a demon and sprite. Humans had all the personality quirks of demons, so he should have expected to run into some fairly rude ones at some point. "No matter. I'm looking for a girl... about yay high?" He settled back into a seated position, holding one large paw to his chest.

"Blonde hair, indecently dressed?"

"That's her!" Baba exclaimed happily. "Just point me in the direction, my good... ummm... man?"

The young man smirked in response. He turned, pointing to a path that ran next to the field. "Follow it up to the center of town. Big tent in the middle... Try not to... umm.. talk to anyone if you can help it."

"Thanks!" Baba replied happily, falling back to his feet before ambling off to the large structure on the gentle rise.

Tuon didn't know what the 'sprite's' intentions were, but if they made trouble for the demon, then what did it matter?

---

"You have to go, now." Pluto's voice was terse, her eyes dark. Her face, which had been so animated only moments before, had paled almost to the color of her fuku.

"Pluto, what's going on?" Mercury asked as they were all herded to a large door.

"Youma attack."

"Okay, we'll be back when we're finished-"

"You think it's that simple?" Pluto ground out. "On your own, you've defeated what, a handful of youma's apeice? We cannot even begin to know the trials that are headed our way, now that Usagi is gone. That they've started attacking again this soon-" She trailed off, her expression stormy. She'd thought for sure the enemy would spend at least some time preparing a new battle plan. This hitch in her hopes did not bode well for any of them. "Get going, and be careful." She gently pushed Mercury and Venus through the doorway.

"Where's the attack?" Mamoru asked, watching as Jupiter squared her shoulders and marched through the door.

"I've set the gate to an area near the attack. Forgive me, I only hope you'll have the strength to teleport back to Tokyo when you are done with the beast." Pluto said softly, shaking her head.

"Wai- What?" Mars asked, just in time to be shoved through the doorway. Mamoru arched one eyebrow at the taller women when she closed in on him. He stepped through the doorway before she could shove him through.

Pluto's shoulders slumped as all resolve melted away."God help us." She whispered to herself, eyes drifting wearily shut.

---

"How do you know about nerves?" Usagi asked thoughtfully. Surely this women didn't know that much about anatomy. A priestess, a fire demon, okay, doable. But a doctor?

"What, you think because I live in a farming village, I've never seen a textbook?" Miatsu asked, humurously. Usagi blushed, because that had been exactly what she'd been thinking.

"She grew up in the city. Even went to university there," Kirari supplied helpfully.

"Looked too human for my relatives to be completely comfortable around. So when the call went out for a healer, this is where I came." She held up one long pin. "Thanks to my heritage I can extend my consciousness into these pins when they are heated. Once inside the body, I use your own heat and any fire element in you to take a look around." Here her face twisted. "A little difficult in your case as you have so little. Mostly there's a lot of silver eddies-"

"Am I interrupting?"

All three women turned towards the gentle voice. Thoughts of miraculous arm usage, limited as it may be, were stored away for later.

Usagi's jaw dropped. Right before her face lit up. "Kawaii!"

The large brown bear scratched the back of his head in amused embarrasment. "Ummm... thank you?"

End.  
A/N New chappie for you, still short, I'm very sorry. Will try harder.


	6. Chapter 6

Duck Tape Reality

Seamagik

Chapter 6: A Long Time Comin'

A/N: Hard to believe I started writing this story over a year ago. And only 5 chapters in… For shame, self…Thanks to the odd few who reviewed and especially to Eva C, who reminded me that it exists. Teehee… Anyway, some of the darker themes are going to start cropping up. The fic as a whole, though, will remain happily silly.

As always, please ignore the mistakes my zealousness doesn't catch. One of these days I'm going to have to get a beta.

Standard disclaimers apply.

Rated T for the gratuitous use of the word 'bastard.' :D

* * *

They stumbled into the light of day. Caught off guard, they blinked rapidly, wondering about the flashing lights dancing before their eyes… 

Dancing lights, indeed…

Nope, those were actually the flash bulbs of cameras as tourists snapped merrily away at a rather agitated, and very buxom, dog eared youma.

"Civilians." Sailor Mars hissed, shooting a loaded glance towards Venus. Venus rolled her eyes in a classic expression of _Duh_.

Mars fixated again on the youma, only to find herself face to face with the lens of a camera.

_Snap_

There were those spots again. Little dancing bastards.

Vaguely, she could hear Jupiter exclaiming angrily towards her left, and Mercury's concerned voice to her right…

"What, no, I'm fine, Mercury." Mars shook her head to relieve the last of her temporary blindness.

Mercury glanced sympathetically at her comrade. "I was actually telling Jupiter to let go of the man's collar."

Mars looked sharply to her left to stare incredulously at Jupiter, who did indeed have her hand on some poor guy's shirt… and was in the middle of a good shake. Jupiter caught her friend's eyes and grinned sheepishly, releasing the man abruptly.

"Hey!" A harassed looking man pushed through the crowd. His business suit practically screamed corporate liaison and his clipped, angry English proclaimed to the world that really, deep down, he had wanted to be a trapeze artist, so is it his fault he had turned into a self righteous jerk? "What are you doing here? We didn't authorize any side acts!"

"This isn't an act. Please clear the area." Mercury said softly and calmly in her best English accent.

The man didn't hear her, though, as the tourist who had blinded Mars was exclaiming quite loudly about how he'd been "manhandled," his apparent "importance," and about how… blah, blah, blah, "lawyers"… blah, blah, blah… "sue"…

"My god!" Venus exclaimed in unhappiness. "We must be in America."

Not just in America, no. In America. On the weekend.

In Disney Land?!

So much for secrecy.

A squeal of outrage reverberated through the square.

Apparently, one tourist had tried to get a little frisky with a now very _angry,_ agitated, buxom, dog-eared youma. Said tourist was currently flying through the air at an alarming rate. Mars didn't have to say a thing; Jupiter had already jumped to catch the boy before he _splooshed_ on concrete.

Cue panicked screaming and running horde. Fantastic.

Venus and Mars exchanged a look.

_Well, isn't this fun._

* * *

"For the last time," Usagi huffed. "These are my clothes." 

"Almost prefer the fuku," Baba muttered to himself, crossing large fuzzy arms across his chest as though they could protect him from her scandalous attire.

Usagi's face scrunched in angry unhappiness and she unable to suppress the urge to stick her tongue out at the bear. Jeez. Who'd have known when she picked them from her closet this morning that her jean skirt and cami would cause so much disruption. Her jean jacket and overshirt lay crumpled by the fire. It was far too hot to be putting that jacket on and the overshirt was stained with blood that left her feeling more than a little queasy. Darn sprite would just have to be happy with the clothes she had on and be thankful she wasn't rushing to take any more off.

"Would you both be quiet!" Miatsu ground out, "I'm not done poking around in here."

"Isn't that the literal truth." Usagi muttered, but fell silent when Miatsu's fiery gaze fell on her. Also literal. She sighed, allowing her eyes to follow the smoke of the flames up to the tent's ceiling and out a small circular opening. Huh. No wonder it wasn't so smoky in here. Kirari grinned as if she was able to read the girl's thoughts. Who knew angels were so easily distracted?

"One more pin should do it." Miatsu murmured, mostly to herself. Both Usagi and Baba looked queasy as the woman reached for the last pin in the fire. It slid gently in Usagi's wound, causing a fresh blood to ooze from her shoulder. If a bear can be said to turn green, Baba certainly did. And promptly held large paws in front of his snout as his cheeks bulged.

"Really, sprite, you saw the last three go in," Kirari grinned. "Must you have the same reaction each time?"

He nodded miserably, scooting towards the entrance as best he could.

Akki yelped indignantly as he narrowly missed being upchucked on by a sprite. Oh, the things we do to uphold sacred, ancient covenants…

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Usagi questioned tersely.

"Because I hate not knowing." Miatsu replied grimly. Usagi waited patiently for the rest of the answer, but none was forthcoming.

How rude.

Usagi's stomach rumbled loudly and she blushed scarlet.

"Ahh, the real reason for little Usagi's impatience." Kirari laughed, "I'll go tell the Elder we need food."

_I got it_.

All present (human shaped) jumped. Baba pulled himself into the tent, looking at them all in confusion. "What's wrong with you? It was Akki, that infernal little wolf demon. Little tramp has been insulting me in that voice for the better part of a half hour."

"And I am not fat," Baba muttered under his breath, almost as an afterthought. "I'm well padded." With that, he reseated his padding with a harrumph upon the ground.

Really, Baba the forest sprite and Akki, the Shiatsu, had just met, but it seemed they'd taken an instant dislike to each other. Probably had something to do with the way Baba kept almost vomiting on him.

Akki crept stealthily towards the gathering of humans. He suppressed a dry chuckle within his mind. To think, only a day ago he would have been desperate and hungry enough to take a bite out of them and risk the wrath of their demon protector… Of course, yesterday, he wouldn't have been strong enough to make it through the Forest Barrier… but now… Let's just say, the agreement between Lunars and Shiatsu had not been entirely one sided.

Many millennia ago, when the Lunars had first learned of the ever changing landscape brought on Earth by the demon horde, the Shiatsu had been rulers of Northern Europe. Just as the Lunars started their campaign against evil, however, the Shiatsu had been ousted from their territory by dragons, some of the largest and most powerful demons in existence. Forced to eke out a living in the wild, like common beasts, the Shiatsu became the social pariahs of the demon world.

The greatest of the dragons, the Great Red, had been the first to fall to the Lunars' campaign. And the Shiatsu had done their bit of cheering in the stands. When approached by a Lunar representative, however, the leaders of the wolf demons had scoffed. It was one thing to cheer on the sidelines, quite another to join the fight and risk your own fur...

Demons thought they may be, Shiatsu had a close tie to Earth. They'd been around far longer than the newly awakened demons that had only recently wrested control from humans. They'd also long felt the pull of the Moon, had sung to Her, praised Her beauty…

And Lunars knew this. In all they Magickal glory, the Angels of the Moon had no connection to the Earth. The Shiatsu, the only demon in existence that possessed a tie to both the Earth and the Moon, were the only demons capable of Bonding to Lunars, the only demon able to connect them to the Earth. It was only through the Shiatsu that the Lunars would be able to hear Earth's whispers, her pleas. Only through them would the Lunars be able to find the most fell of all demons- Hesperos, the Evening Star, King of Demons. The Lunars _needed_ to find him and destroy him if they wanted to win the war. Hesperos was the only demon capable of summoning others into existence. Demons could be borne of course, in the base way of humans, but most were no longer capable of spawning and so had to cross breed. Only Hesperos could call out the demons from the ether of existence in a pure and unsullied form.

The Shiatsu, longing for the forest, for the bounty of Erde to be restored, wanted to help, but were afraid for their own safety. And so the Lunars had offered something in exchange. Bonded to a Shiatsu, the Lunar would be able to hear the Earth, could speak back in kind, could use Her knowledge to search out the most dangerous of all demons. And in return, the Shiatsu would no longer need to eke out a living on wild game, would no longer just worship the Moon, but would be able to draw on Her power, through their Bonded, as well. They hadn't been expected to be made stronger and deadlier in the process, but the pure power of the Lunars bolstered them in unexpected ways. Most importantly, they would once again be masters of their own fate.

But the Lunars had failed. Their ruler had fallen at the hands of Hesperos. And the Shiatsu, who had long been hated for their ancient status and loving ties to Erde, were hunted and destroyed for their loyalty to the Lunars. Most Shiatsu had gone into hiding, gleaning what life they could from the emptier regions of Earth. A few centuries ago the Demon Council had declared the Shiatsu a species on the verge of extinction and promised harsh retribution to anyone who dared kill a wolf demon. Hesperos went to sleep a thousand years ago, hence, pure demons were no longer being called to earth. The Demon Council realized that if demonkind wanted to continue controlling earth, they couldn't very well kill themselves off, allegiances be damned. Around the same time, they put a ban on public dueling.

But a Lunar was back in the world… And Akki, the leader of the sparse tribe of Shiatsu in Japan, was Bonded to her, whether she realized it or not. She wasn't just any old Lunar, though, but a Lunar Princess, the next Avatar of Selene. The dangers of such a life were great, but his whole tribe was benefiting…

Of course he'd had to send his pack into hiding. It would be mighty suspicious if a whole clan of Shiatsu was suddenly found to be fit as fiddles and deadly as holy water. Even more so if it was found they grew in deadly capability as the full moon appeared.

"She can't possibly be an angel. They're all dead."

Akki snapped back towards the gathering. He must be getting old, he mused. Completely zoned out for a minute…

The heavily muscled warrior from the forest rolled his shoulders. "Be reasonable, Tuon. Both Kirari and Miatsu say she is. And there is definitely something different about her… Her power signature as the warrior-"

"The indecently dressed one?"

"Yeah, that one. Her power signature is far above and beyond that of a human. And her human guise… Kirari insisted that there was a spell hiding her true aura." He leveled the Village Elder with an earnest stare. "I saw no Weaves, which means it most be of the oldest and sacredest of all Magicks… She must be Lunar."

"She may just as easily be a demon-" Tuon argued.

The Elder rubbed his eyebrows with one hand and gestured for silence. "I admit that she does not look the part… but Kirari and Miatsu are the strongest Seers we possess. And as much as some like to ignore it, Miatsu is a demon." He ignored Tuon's angry glare and Jian's angry glare directed at Tuon for angrily glaring.

"Demons always recognize one of their own. If Miatsu says she is not demon, but Lunar… If Kirari, our greatest Huntress, knowledgeable in the ways of demons; if she says that the girl must be Lunar… well, Tuon, you are frankly not qualified to say otherwise."

Tuon's face hardened to stone. At 20, he was the youngest of the shamans. He had been selected only because of his strength as a warrior and his abilities to lead the tribe's warriors. Unlike the other shamans, he had no demonic ability or strength of magic. He only had his strength of arm, which most of the other shamans thought hardly qualified him. It made his blood burn.

_Calm down, Pup. _

All within the gathering started as Akki's voice tickled their minds. Akki controlled his urge to yip in laughter like a pup. Instead he padded into the ring of shaman and sat, staring firmly at the young Tuon.

_Be assured, she is a Lunar._

Covering his shock easily, Tuon frowned at the wolf. "And why should I trust the words of a demon?"

Jian's shocked intake of breath was the only sound within the small clearing. Demons were the only reason shamans had any power in this village. Without the protection of demons, they'd be scattered to the four corners of the globe, surviving as best they could in an unforgiving environment. Some of the shamans themselves had more than a little demon heritage. To be so disrespectful in their prescence-

Akki's eyes burned as he looked up at the human. His presence, suddenly magnified, seemed to stifle that of all others gathered, silencing even the most trivial of thoughts. A Huntress who had been standing near Tuon, arguing in his defense, who had not seen the girl or the Shiatsu, fell back from the boy's side in shock. The wolf's aura, almost palpable, shouted a truth so unbelievable she had no choice but to believe it. She slowly crossed to the Elder's side, sending Tuon an apologetic look. Slowly, the other Huntresses who had sided with Tuon crossed to the Elder's side, their senses buffeted by the knowledge that this wolf demon had a direct pipeline to the Moon. That the demon had Bonded to an angel.

_Large words from a boy that exists in a village protected by demons. _Plunging on ahead before the youngling could start to rant, Akki continued. _Demon I may be, young pup. _The wolf demon's eyes burned and he pressed his centuries of life onto the small gathering of shamans. _If you cannot respect my role as demon, respect that I am the Pack Leader of Japan and not to be taken lightly. The Shiatsu have long been connected to Erde in ways that most humans cannot comprehend. The girl is not of Erde and not of demon stock. She may not appear to be an Angel, at least in the ways you imagine, but only because she spends little time in her true Form. If she stays in her true Form long enough, her power will increase monumentally and none will be able to gainsay her heritage. Feel lucky she is not yet at full power or the entire demon population would be converging on this village as we speak._

Then Akki peered closer at the boy and he released his grip on the combined power of his heritage and the Lunar girl as he read something surprising in the boy's aura. His lopsided grin made Tuon stare hard. _And trust me when I say, not long from now, you too will know that she is not of the Earth. _

Feeling that all was settled, Akki turned to face the Elder. _The girl's stomach makes unpleasant noises. Send food, so that I may nap._

He turned from the group and loped back up the hillside.

"The demon has fleshed out some." Jian muttered. "He seemed thinner in the forest."

"He is Bonded to a Lunar." A huntress explained in wonder. "He no longer needs anything of this world to sustain him."

Tuon remained silent. He had no magick abilities, couldn't stitch the Weaves together to make the simplest of truth spells, but he still had felt it when the demon had peered into his soul. What had the Shiatsu seen there? The words being spoken snapped him back to reality as the anger within him once again rose.

"As for your punishment-" The Elder silenced Tuon with a steadying look. "Twice in one day you have questioned me, questioned the shamans. Questioning is not a crime, but you have been argumentative beyond all reason… You sent that... sprite... to the tent without asking us or even determining his intentions. At best, that shows carelessness unbefitting a shaman. A worst, a maliciousness that is frightening. Even my grandson is subject to the rules of shaman, Tuon, you must realize that."

Tuon nodded stiffly. "I accept the judgment of the shamans then." The circle descended into silence as Tuon waited for his fate.

It was Jian who finally spoke into the silence. Tuon realized, with a hint of shame, that the other shamans had been speaking about him telepathically, coming to a consensus on his punishment. Yet another gift in which he was lacking.

"After this moment, we will forget everything that has happened today. No one will bring up your words or actions." Jian glanced in warning at the other shamans. He didn't have too. The shamans lived by the principle 'the past is past.' "But you need to learn a little temperance, Tuon. We have decided that you will be a guardian of the Lunar."

"Wha-"

"What better way to learn temperance, than from an Angel," The Elder's smile was not without a twist of irony. "And assuming what the Shiatsu says is true, she is yet young and has not inherited all of her powers. Who better to protect her than the finest warrior this village has to offer?"

"There's a war going on," Tuon protested, his arms coming up to implore his grandfather to see reason. "I cannot abandon my responsibilities."

"You will only be her guardian for as long you feel you must, until your spirit is calmed and she no longer has need of you." A Huntress, Cho, said softly. "When you feel that your time with her is over, you may come home."

"Come home?" He asked, sickened with the possibilities.

"We fear her journeys will take her from us," the Elder warned. "She has already spoken of Tokyo."

An ominous silence settled on the group. To cross the mountains and go into Tokyo. They knew that this was no easy thing they were asking of Tuon. Tuon knew it as well, if his unhappy silence was any indication.

"Do you accept this judgement?" Cho asked when Tuon wouldn't speak. "Say the word and we will find you a new task, one not quite so... demanding." She had been going to say 'harsh.' The only shaman to argue against this judgement, her soft eyes she implored him to decline. Tuon, her nephew, was the only link she had left to a sister long dead…

Learn temperance, they said. Learn to control your anger, is what they meant. The anger that threatened to choke him every time a demon entered their midst… Tuon knew it wasn't healthy. His mother was gone, he needed to make peace with his anger and release it. He looked up into his grandfather's eyes when a startling thought occured to him. They may have given him the means to release his anger once and for all...

"I accept your judgement."

Cho stifled her disappointment and fear as the other shamans nodded in relieved agreement. None of them knew the thoughts flying in the youngest shaman's minds.

This girl was young, not yet possessing her full powers. He could accept the evidence that she was a Lunar. But if she was a Lunar, new to her powers, new to this world, she was his to craft and shape.

He would shape her into an arrow. And aim her at the heart of the demon world; aim her at Hesperos. Only when all the demons were dead, only then would his anger be abated.

* * *

"Good job, Ami." An exhausted Minako said from her place on the floor. She considered moving to the couch on which Ami was currently slumped. Nah. Too much effort. 

Ami didn't have the strength to blush. She nodded mutely, one hand pressing to her eyes in an attempt to dull the pain.

Analyzing the monster with the use of her headset had been fairly easy. The dog eared youma was nigh unbeateable. Resistant to elemental attack and quick enough to bound away from most physical damage. The youma had only one weakness… Cats. It was deathly allergic to cats.

So they'd teleported quickly to Usagi's room, grabbed Luna, teleported back, and thrown the shocked, squirming bundle at the youma. Scared for her life, Luna had sunk her teeth into the creature's arm. Even now she was glaring accusingly at them as she spat out the last of youma dust from her mouth.

It wasn't the first 10 minutes of fighting the thing while Mercury analyzed it that had wiped them out. It was the three teleports; first to grab Luna, then back to Disney Land, and finally to Rei's home. They'd never teleported without the use of Usagi before. Turns out the silver crystal had been a big time help with those quick jaunts to the bad guys' hideouts.

"I need something good and carbohydrate-y." Makoto moaned as Chibi-Usa rushed in with the teapot. Mamoru, the only one who had not expended all of his powers on a Sailor Teleport, followed soon after with a plate of cookies and cups for the tea.

Makoto amended her statement, eyeing the cookies. "I need someone to feed me the carbohydrate-y goodness."

"Whassat beeping noise?" Rei asked groggily, too weary to lift her face from the carpet.

"I think it's your communicator." Mamoru frowned, placing the cups and cookies on the coffee table. He turned and headed to the screen door, kneeling where Rei's bag lay propped against the wall. He pulled the communicator from the front pocket, flicking the switch to open the channel.

"Don't mind me," Rei groused, grumpiness the only thing that could stir her from her carpet inhalation. "Feel free to rifle through all my stuff."

Ignoring her, Mamoru glanced at the screen, suppressing a smile at the ludicrous vision of Artemis with a headset on his small cat head.

"You left me at Usagi's." Artemis accused. "I had to hoof it the Arcade, no idea what was going on…"

"It was better than the alternative!" Luna shot from the couch, glaring again at any Senshi foolish enough to glance her way.

When Mamoru began to open his mouth to explain, Artemis cut him off with. "Don't bother, I know where you've been."

"What?"

"Turn on the news. Doesn't matter which channel."

Mamoru frowned, turning towards the TV. He crossed the room quickly as each of the Senshi shook themselves into alertness, turning towards the television. The first news channel he flipped to had them all gaping at the screen as they watched themselves teleport away from Disney Land.

The news anchor turned to his co-host. "Guess those Americans will finally have to admit that the Sailor Senshi exist." He and his co-host laughed heartily together.

Mamoru glanced back towards the Senshi. No country acknowledged the Senshi, not even Japan. Though all the news stations in Tokyo insisted on their existence, no one took them seriously. News feeds spread throughout the world on the Senshi fighting youma were thought to be, at best, the product of an underground television show that had yet to release a full episode.

Makoto, munching on a cookie, was the only Senshi who did not appear concerned. "At least they can't call us TV hacks anymore."

Minako grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned the channel to a news show that had a little more credibility.

"In other news," the woman stopped laughing with her co anchor to fix the screen with a serious frown, "the American government is denying all possibility that the Sailor Senshi are anything more than a new Disney Land side act. Disney™ came out with their own statement only moments ago, denying all association with the Senshi. Further more, they said they are considering legal actions against the Senshi for trespassing on Disney™ owned property and performing without authorization."

"Those bastards!" Makoto gasped, outraged.

"Performing?" Minako sputtered. "We saved lives!"

* * *

Across the ocean, a top ranking Japanese embassy official was meeting with a few men in black suits. But not in his own comfortable office, oh no. The men had taken him from the comfort of his high rise apartment, down into what appeared to be a cellar in some seedy part of town, flicked a lamp into his eyes and started asking questions. As if he was a criminal of some sort! 

"We've been telling you for years that the Senshi exist," he said wearily. He'd been saying it for the last twenty minutes and had long ago lost hope that they'd start listening to him.

"Fine, fine," one man waved that away, finally diving into the heart of the matter. "But what gave you the authorization to put them on our soil?"

Yamada Ryu gasped in outrage as he realized what they were implying. "We didn't authorize anything. The Senshi are not under our jurisdiction. We followed your _esteemed_ suggestion and denied their existence! Do you honestly think we're going to try and dictate to a bunch of super heroes that we don't even acknowledge who, when, and where to fight?"

He stood from the black folding chair that they had plopped him in and glared menacingly at the men. "These girls have saved lives. Those youma are dangerous."

"No one's ever died from an attack." A condescending smile had Ryu glowering at the speaker.

"Only because those girls were there to prevent it." Ryu ground out. Being in America for so long had loosened the reigns he had carefully constructed on his emotions. How dare these…_ Americans_… dictate to him how his government should work. He started in realization. "How do you know that no one's died?" He question, suspicion on his face.

The man in black rolled his shoulders in awkward realization of his misstep. "The American government tracks all potential threats."

Ryu, who had family in Juuban, only barely managed to contain his tongue. Only a year ago, his nephew had been saved by those _potential threats_.

"Surely you realize," the man continued, oblivious. "That no one knows their intentions. For all we know, one day they could take over the world."

"I find the idea laughable." Ryu replied calmly.

The man sighed and his indifferent mask slipped a little. "I'm inclined to believe you." His gruff façade was replaced quickly though. "No matter, some of our top officials wish to meet with the girls and discuss their allegiances."

Ryu gaped at their presumption. "You want to make weapons out of them?"

The men shared hooded glances before focusing again on the embassy official. "We are not authorized to discuss that with you. Suffice to say, any information you have on their whereabouts, addresses, names, anything, would be greatly appreciated."

And Ryu found himself saying something that _he_ wasn't authorized to say. "Go to hell." Just in case, he added something that should really frighten them. "I'm calling my lawyer."

* * *

Akki slipped into the tent and glanced at his charge. Thankfully, she was no longer a human pincushion. She was, however, staring wide eyed at the demon Miatsu as she fingered a heart shaped pendant pinned to her chest. 

"Well, as near as I can imagine, anyway." Miatsu shrugged. Clearly, he had missed something.

_What's going on_? He whispered into Usagi's mind.

_She says she found the source of the silver eddies, the only thing keeping my arm from being completely useless, _She offered without thought. Then gaped. And looked at him. And gaped some more.

"As charming as your impression of a fish appears," Baba grunted, his stomach rumbling in delight at the thought of fish, "could you offer the explanation to the rest of us."

"You said that those silver eddies… those power floes?... That they were coming from my broach." Usagi exhaled slowly. The day was too weird to examine the fact that she'd just projected her thoughts onto a wolf's mind with little effort. "The broach contains the source of my power."

Akki and Baba snorted simultaneously.

"_You_ are the source of your power." Baba supplied when Akki remained mute. "A stone, at the end of the day, is just a stone. It can be used as a tool… but nothing more. It cannot simply create energy. Nothing, save the most powerful of magicks and oldest of creatures can do that."

"But, I've used it. Without it, I'd be-" She couldn't finish the sentence. Without it, she'd be still dead from her fight with Beryl and Metallia. The stone had granted her wish, sending the Senshi back a year in time to relive their lives. And before that, it had been used by Queen Serenity to send the souls of the Princess and her protectors to the future to be reborn. Wow. Fifteen years old and already dead twice. Sometimes she forgot how crazy her life truly was.

"No matter what you think it's done for you, it's only because _you_ use it that it is of any use." Baba peered closely at the broach on her chest. Forest sprites had an easier time peering past the layers of reality and seeing the Weaves and Warps of Magick. And what spilled from the girls chest was her own power, magnified, purified, useable to her in her 'human' form, but still only hers. Most would feel that the power was from the stone itself, so cleverly did the crystal hide its true nature. He'd heard of physical manifestations of star seeds before… he'd just never seen one.

_Hide it_. Akki warned and Baba was forced to nod in agreement. _Some people will think that the stone is creating energy and feeding it to you. They will want to possess it. They won't realize that it is worthless to them until they've killed you to obtain it. _

"Or worse," Baba rumbled. "They'll realize and keep you alive, bend you to their will, until you use it for them."

Usagi opened her mouth to protest and then thought better of it. Instead, she asked a very relevant question, "How do I hide it? I use it to transform into Sailor Moon. It's not as if I can bury it under a rock and forget about it."

"It is not really a crystal, Usagi." Baba offered distractedly, dwelling heavily on his own thoughts. "It is part of you, part of your own heart. It's known as a star seed… Surely there must be a way to reunite it with your body." The last part was more to himself than anything else. He made a mental note to contact Sailor Pluto and ask her about the crystal that lay within the girl's broach.

"A star seed?" Usagi questioned, shaking her head. "I don't know what that is… or how I'd put it inside my body." She pushed away the gruesome mental images that came with that thought. Baba standing over her in surgical garments, a maniacal glint in his eyes as her turned on the power saw- Eew. She was happily distracted by Kirari's sigh.

"You may have to go to Tokyo after all." The woman frowned in unhappiness. "You may find the answers there that you need." It was an unpleseant thought, but possibly the only solution available to the girl.

Usagi beamed. _Home._

Miatsu shared a glance with Kirari, opening her mouth in warning and then snapping it shut as the tent flap was pushed aside and Tuon ducked in, bearing a platter of food for their guest.

Usagi's eyes gleamed, her whole body visibly perking up at just the prospect of food. Eyeing the girl, all distrust gone from his face, Tuon sat the platter near the fire, momentarily taken aback by the bloodied overshirt that lay there. He shot a glance at the wound in the girl's shoulder, still raw from Miatsu's ministrastions, and dropped to the pillowed ground of the tent to join in the conversation. Kirari and Miatsu, who had shared in part of the telepathic decision for punishment, didn't question his role in this meeting. What they said could very well determine where her path would lead him. It was just a Jian had said, Tuon thought to himself. He wouldn't have recognized this human girl for the warrior that had walked in their midst earlier. Come to think of it… he couldn't even remember what that warrior had looked like. Hey... waitaminute... Tuon's eyes widened as his face reddened. Was she in her underwear?

Baba's eyes sparkled in amusement, happy in the knowledge that he wasn't the only uncomfortable male in the room.

Though Tuon could not remember what the warrior had looked like thanks to her disguise magic, Usagi remembered him; he was the man in the shadow… the one who'd stared so hatefully at her… But the prospect of food was a tempting mistress and even though the bringer of it may not be very nice, Usagi wouldn't punish herself for his dislike. Reaching out to grab a handful of nuts, she stopped surprised when her arm did little more than twitch... Oh... right... Depression could wait till later. Right now she needed to get with the eating. Switching hands, she grabbed a handful of nuts and dried meat and began merrily chowing down.

It was only after a moment that she realized Kirari was still speaking to her.

"What?" She blinked in confusion.

"I said, no matter what you may believe, Tokyo is not your home."

That was enough to quell the stuffing of face. Her hand dropped to her lap in mid stuff and she stared at the two women. "Of course Tokyo is my home."

"Usagi…" Miatsu said softly, leaning towards her in earnestness. "Does anything about this world seem… a little off to you." In truth, much of the glimpses she'd had of Usagi's thoughts when she'd been exploring the girl's wound were frightening in their technological complexity. This world was based upon Magick and the advancements upon it created by demons. Usagi's concept of a 'surgeon' to 'stitch her wound' didn't exist here. Maybe a good shaman or nice demon could heal her up good and proper, but the only time any 'stitching' occurred in this world was when a hunting party of humans were miles away from their village with no hope of magical healing in sight. And no demon or shaman anywhere, save possibly Hesperos, could restore the severed nerves in the girl's arm. Coming back to the subject at hand, though, surely the girl had realized that this world was not quite like hers...

"Well, I've heard some stories of rural Japan…" Usagi trailed off, not wanting to offend any of the villagers. What they must think of the city girl that had never seen a farm before! Sure, Miatsu was a little strange, what with the fire pins and the glowing eyes and what not, but in Usagi's experience, that wasn't exactly unheard of. She opted for a different tactic. "Maybe this place seems a little different from what I'm used to, but Tokyo has it's far share of things you can't explain so easily."

Granted, Usagi didn't remember a large plain from her geography studies. Or the large mountains in the distance. Or the strange, cool forest. Don't even get her started on the unnatural appearance of the sun. Ignorance was suiting her just fine, thank you.

"Tokyo is a wasteland." The black haired man that was sitting next to her supplied. "There's nothing there, save the burned remains of a few huts and a shrine. No one goes there but the strongest of shamans and only then to receive the blessing of the Gods."

The blood ran cold in her veins as the last of her grips on ignorance and disbelief were shattered.

"What are you talking about?" Usagi asked coolly, her mind unable to accept what the man had just told her. "I was just there, in Juuban Park. I fell into a dark portal," she conveniently ignored the part where Mamoru had anything to do with her 'fall', "and here I am, a few miles from Tokyo…"

"A few hundred miles from the Sacred Site of Tokyo on Quartoth," Baba corrected, sympathy shining in his chocolate eyes. "You are _dimensions_ away from your Tokyo on Earth."

And though it hurt her to admit it, Usagi felt that she had known that all along.

End Chapter 6

A/N:

No, Usagi doesn't know what a star seed is, because this is AU in season R. But in a later season, it's revealed that the silver crystal is her star seed. How that's possible when it's passed down mother to daughter throughout royal history is a loophole that I don't think the writers took into account. Maybe I should think of a good explanation for that. :3

Most people probably didn't catch it, but I say disguise magic, not disguise magick. Cause that's how we all think of it in SM universe and that particular little tidbit spills over from her home dimension. Magick is particular to Quartoth. It's got a k. It's special. Cuz I'm the author and I said so! BWaha.

I like reviews! Anything you have to say is really appreciated. And, as always is my case, constructive suggestions are welcome and flamers are ignored. If I screw up a few season R details… remember the AU part of the story and don't hurt me.


	7. Chapter 7

Duck Tape Reality

Seamagik

Chapter 7: Untitled due to poor budget management

Standard disclaimers apply. Reviews welcome. Happy dances encouraged.

Rated T for the use of ass in a violent context. :D

From the moment she'd wakened to be greeted by a green dawn, she had known something wasn't right. If nothing else, she'd known it because when she'd fallen into the portal it'd felt as if reality was ripping in two… and had then been squished with another and duck taped together… Strange, really, but that's kinda how it had felt.

So really, all along, hadn't she known that this wasn't Earth? The air was too still, the sun was too large… everything just felt… wrong.

She blinked slowly, numb, as the voices around her explained how, for all intensive purposes, she was no longer in Kansas, without even a Toto to comfort her. She continued nodding dumbly to their explanations, fingering the broach pinned to her chest, her eyes lost in the rising smoke from the dying fire. No one offered any suggestion on what the black portal might be or how she'd be able to go home.

Food lay forgotten in her lap. Warm tea someone had pressed to her side became cold. Finally, the two women left the tent, sending sad glances at her distraught face. The tears never came… just an empty blankness… a frightening numbness from which she could not wake. Baba cleared his throat nervously, muttering something about women and distress and nervousness before also shambling out of the tent.

Something warm and furry pressed into her side. A large gray muzzle hesitantly prodded her side. Usagi turned to look at the wolf the women told her was a demon and stared at him uncomprehendingly. He pushed again at her arm, almost seeming to try and worm his way underneath it and she realized that he was trying to comfort her.

Perhaps she had a Toto, after all.

She collapsed against him, soundless, reaching out to clasp him with her good arm. Her eyes squeezed shut, as if she wished and hoped and prayed enough for home, when her eyes opened once more, she'd be back in her own bed.

The young man stood, glancing at her. Usagi couldn't see his face, pressed as she was against Akki, couldn't see the pity and the planning warring on his handsome features. He scooped something from the ground near the fire, and walked quickly out of the tent. Murmured voices rose from behind the flap. Usagi couldn't be bothered to wonder what they were saying. For now, she was lost in her own self pity.

The pain couldn't last forever though. Some have called Usagi a whiner, a cry baby, and most times her friend's would be inclined to agree with them, but when the going got tough even they would insist that Usagi was the strongest of them all. Strangely enough, she was at her strongest and most self reliant when her friends weren't around or were incapacitated. Well, right now, her friends were most definitely not around. If she wanted to see them again, she'd have to do something about it. And the only thing she could do, it seemed, was to trek across the mountain, go to Tokyo, and ask the gods for guidance.

_It's okay to cry, Usagi._ Akki prompted her, gazing at her in concern.

"I'll cry when I see my friends again," Usagi murmured into his thick coat. "Right now, I have to be strong."

Akki pulled from her, gazing deeply into her eyes. _We can't all be strong, all the time. _

"And I'm usually not," Usagi deadpanned. Her face clouded again as she looked down at her almost unusable left arm, effectively dismissing the subject. "But I don't know what I'm gonna do about this."

_Can't you heal it? _Akki asked, remembering age old stories of the healing powers of the Lunars. The only race that could heal death, some said.

Usagi shook her head. "Everyone keeps looking at me like I'm an angel straight from heaven, but I'm just a 15 year old girl from Juuban. I don't know anything about that stuff." She paused in remembrance and amended her statement. "I've healed humans that had been turned into demons with my moon rod before, but I've never looked at someone and said 'be healed!' and all their injuries wash away. My healing seems to be more a soul purification than anything else."

Akki's head bobbed in understanding. _Or maybe you just haven't learned how to heal the physical yet._

Usagi's mouth hardened into a grim line. "Who's to say I'll ever be able to do that. Right now, I've gotta work with what I have, and I've get an almost useless left arm. I don't know how that's going to affect Sailor Moon, now or in the future. What am I going to do if… _when_ I get home and it's back to fighting youma every other night?"

Akki had no answer for her. But that was mostly because he wasn't sure what a youma was.

Diamond swept into the large chamber, anger so overpowering he considered taking a sledge hammer to the Dark Crystal and giving Wise Man a good boot to the ass. If he had an ass underneath all those robes… Wait… What was he thinking again?

Oh, right.

A girl plunging through a strange black portal. A girl he wouldn't have even known about if Emerald hadn't reported the incidence with sadistic glee, replaying a tape of the occurrence. How had she managed to get it on camera?

Rubeus was such a narcissistic pig, Diamond wouldn't be surprised if the redhead hadn't set up a camera beforehand so he could watch the events over and over, pausing now again to watch the events in slow motion.

Wise Man rippled into existence near him, hands hovering over his crystal ball. "I sense you are distressed, Prince."

"Distressed? Distressed?! That doesn't even begin to explain it!" Diamond exploded uncharacteristically. "Do you know what you've done?"

"Supplied enough blankets for every youma in the castle?" Wise Man asked petulantly, gesturing to what appeared to be a mountain of knitting surrounding the Dark Crystal.

"What? Oh, no, not that. They're quite lovely."

"Oh, thank you. I spent a lot of time-"

"Neo Queen Serenity!" Diamond got back on track. "You threw Neo Queen Serenity into another dimension!"

"And that's…. bad?"

"You're damn right it's bad!" Diamond roared. He was in quite a state, the Dark Crystal mused. Usually he only murmured soft directives and sipped at his wine. He actually seemed a bit human for a change…

"You do realize why we're on Nemesis, don't you?" Diamond asked, voice dropping back to that deadly whisper he so loved to use.

Wise Man and the Dark Crystal paused to think. Why what? It'd always been on Nemesis, never been anywhere else-

Ooooooooooooh.

Right.

The humans hadn't always been here. How'd they get here again?

"King Endymion put us here!" Diamond supplied. "King Endymion, consort to Neo Queen Serenity? Ringing any bells? Neo Queen Serenity, the one that awakened the Earth from the great frost and established Neo Tokyo with her creamy white, delicate little hands?"

The Dark Crystal was thrown a bit by Diamond's choice description of Neo Queen Serenity's hands, of all things, but it was beginning to see the bigger picture.

"If there's no Neo Queen Serenity, there's no future. No Crystal Tokyo, no King Endymion, no banishment to Nemesis!"

"And no going into the past to throw her to a different dimension." Wise Man mused. "You are right, Prince Diamond… but you're forgetting one thing."

"And what's that?"

"You're still here."

Diamond paused. "That's right… that must mean she gets back somehow…"

"Or her saintly little protectors go and rescue her." Wise Man grumped. It _had_ been a good plan. He was actually a little thankful now that Rubeus hadn't killed the girl. Would have been awkward to suddenly find all your minions in a state of nonexistence… He realized that Diamond was still nattering away and focused again on the white haired man.

"So, you see, you can't kill her."

"You're right, of course. A time paradox like that… who knows what would happen. I will stick to trying to kill Neo Queen Serenity and not her past self."

Diamond started. That had actually been who he was arguing for. He opened his mouth to correct Wise Man when he realized that a large, evil crystal probably wouldn't see how beauty and nobility of spirit were winning attributes. Instead, he asked, "What will you do?"

"It seems inevitable that Sailor Moon will return to Earth. When she does, we must be ready. We will strike! She is still so young. She will bend easily to my will." Wise Man cackled in glee as Diamond controlled his disgust.

"Brother?" Sapphire's head popped around the corner.

"Now what?" Diamond sighed in annoyance.

"There's a rather large lizard at the door. He wants to know if we could loan him a roll of duck tape?"

Diamond turned to stare hard at Wise Man. "What was that you were saying about a time paradox?"

The scraping noise brought her back to attention. The back side of the lean, dark haired man (_Tuon,_ Akki supplied) was struggling to pull something through the tent's heavy flap. Finally, with a grunt of effort, he managed to pull the large object into the tent.

Usagi looked at him questioningly.

"I thought you might like to… freshen up." He supplied. As she blinked at him in confusion, he pointed to her bloodied shoulder.

"I don't know what you used at your home to bathe, but here we use the forest lake…" He said conversationally as her dragged the iron monstrosity across the floor and closer to the remains of the fire. "Miatsu thought you might like to borrow her tub to soak in. Something about it being less salty than the Sacred Pools?" He questioned, his eyebrow quirked. She couldn't possible have-

Her face flaming, Usagi nodded. "Thanks."

"It'll take a few trips to fill." He warned.

Her relief at the thought of just _relaxing _for a few moments had her shaking her head. "No, that's fine!"

He paused, looking hard at the girl. Hard to believe someone so young could be something so powerful. When she glanced up, catching him mid-stare, he offered her an embarrassed smile. "I'll be leaving with you tomorrow."

"Leaving?" She asked.

"I'll be guiding you to Tokyo." He supplied.

"Thank you." She said, dazed. She hadn't realized that she'd be leaving so quickly. She'd only just gotten here. She must have missed that part of the conversation, dazed as she was by the knowledge of where she was. She didn't realize that they'd suggested she leave as soon as possible merely because she had seemed so distraught at the possibility of being stuck on Quartoth.

"And after."

Here, Usagi blinked, refocusing her gaze on the young man. "After? What happens after?"

"I've been selected to protect you." Try as he might, Tuon could not control the bitterness that seeped into his voice. He fell silent as a women came into the tent, upending a bucket of water into the tub. Usagi, not sure how to interpret his words, let alone his tone of voice, let the silence stretch until the woman had left.

When she had gone, she got the one thing that annoyed her off her chest. "I don't need protection." She wanted to add _I'm Sailor Moon _but didn't when she remembered that those words would mean nothing to him.

"Yes you do." He replied, the arrogance in his voice causing her face to heat. "Unless you've figured out a way to reattach the nerves in your arm."

Her mouth dropped in shock. Why that arrogant jerk! She started to tell him so, but was silenced when another woman came in, bearing a large kettle of water.

Moments passed and the woman finally left.

He beat her to the punch. "And even if you didn't need my protection, which you do," he added, his dark eyes twinkling when she opened her mouth to protest, "you couldn't very well make it to Tokyo without a guide."

"Can't I get another guide?" Usagi muttered.

Tuon's back went rigid. It'd never really occurred to him that _she_ wouldn't want to be saddled with _him._ "No," he finally supplied. "Not unless you want to shame me in front of the entire village." Looking at the unholy glee warming in the girl's eyes, he quickly added, "Besides, I'm the best we've got. Surely you can appreciate that."

Usagi wished that she didn't appreciate that. But his easy, cat-like grace, his apparent ease in his own skin, the way the blade rested so casually on his hip; they screamed of confidence, that yes, he did know what he was doing. He was a bit like the Senshi, she mused. More masculine, obviously, but he moved like he had the years of training of Minako, the quick reflexes of Makoto, the cool head of Ami…

Too bad he got the arrogance of Rei.

So she did what she always did when dealing with Rei in a particularly pig-headed mood.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

He stared at her in shock… Then he smirked. "Aren't you a little old for that?" And he swept out of the tent before she could reply.

So there was bit of Mamoru in him, too. Too bad the bit he got was what she had used to call 'Satan.'

Akki only rolled his eyes, lying down for a good nap.

One hour, a good soak, and the rest of the platter of food later, Usagi was wrapped in a warm robe that had been left by the entrance of the pavilion. Her jean jacket and her overshirt also sat folded by the entrance. Though still stained, they had been washed until most of the blood had been scrubbed away.

_That's what Tuon must have grabbed when he left_, Usagi thought to herself. She would have to thank him tomorrow, she realized. Dang.

Curling up against Akki, still napping, she found her eyes much too heavy to remain open…

The following morning dawned green and hot. She woke slowly to find herself curled against a pillow, Akki nowhere in sight. Remembering the strange happenings of the day she squeezed her eyes shut, in the hopes that when they opened again she'd be back in her own room.

No luck.

Sighing in unhappiness, the girl pulled herself from the floor. Breakfast lay waiting by the entrance, along with a change of clothes. For a moment, she thought to put her own clothes back on, before she realized that skirts and hiking were probably not such a good combination.

The gray gloop that resembled oatmeal was thankfully tasteless. The dried fruit and slice of bread made it slightly more bearable, but only slightly. Miatsu ducked in just as she forced another unhappy spoonful past her lips. The older woman laughed at her expression.

"You'll need it for the energy." Miatsu said, apologetically. Usagi's face fell as the rest of her impromptu traveling party filed in. Guess demanding a new entrée was out of the question. Well, she'd just have to be that much more thankful for mom's pancakes when she got home, wouldn't she?

Speaking of which, she wondered what'd they'd told her mom…

"What are we going to tell her mom?" Rei hissed, clasping her hand over the phone's mouth piece.

Minako gave her a questioning glance. "Tell her what you always do."

Rei slumped in relief. "Oh right… Mrs. Tsukino?" Rei brought the phone back up to her ear. "Sorry, we totally forgot to call you, Usagi spent the night here… No… no, she's already left for the arcade… Yes, I'll tell her you're looking for her if I see her. Okay. Bye."

Makoto, wakened by Rei's panicked hissing, shared a bemused glance with Ami. Stress and exhaustion had turned their meeting into an impromptu sleepover. Mamoru had left the night before, taking Chibi-Usa with him and Luna with him. Chibi-Usa, happy to be reunited with her father wouldn't have had it otherwise. Luna was still too angry about the dog youma incident to stay in the same room with them, or so she'd said.

"I hate to mention this," Ami said softly, after Rei had hung up the phone. "But what are we going to do if Usagi doesn't come back?"

Rei stared at her as if she'd just uttered blasphemy. "Of course Usagi will come back."

Ami blushed, "What I mean is, if she's not back by tonight, or tomorrow… What then?"

All eyes turned to Minako. "Oh no, you don't! I have my own life to deal with. I can't pretend to be her, too!"

Twenty minutes later, in which time none of the girls had been able to put Minako's hair into the perfect odangoes Usagi always wore, they slumped on the couch in defeat. Really, how did that girl get her hair in such perfect little spheres? And even with her hair up, Usagi's mom would never fall for it. If only they knew where to find that darn disguise pen Usagi had relied on last year…

"We could tell her the truth." Ami finally suggested.

"I've got a better idea." Minako replied, pulling the latest of their failed attempts from her hair. "We could find Rubeus and wail on him till he opens another portal and brings Usagi back."

Makoto brightened. "I like that idea!"

Rei and Ami were inclined to agree. Now if they could just figure out how to find him…

Usagi felt like a samurai. And because she felt like a samurai, she was inclined to act like one as well. Darting about the tent in what she felt was samurai deadliness, she paused every once and again to put herself into one of her own made up 'samurai poses'. Her favorite so far was Hater of the Gray Gloop, followed closely by Grey Gloop, You Killed My Father, Prepare to Die, Tsaaa!

It wasn't her fault really, it was the clothes. The large blue baggy breeches reminded her of the hakama worn by samurai and priests. The short sleeved shirt wrapped about her torso and tucked into the tight waistline of the pants did little to change the image in her mind. She had stared mistrusting at the leather boots supplied to her and finally just slipped on her own sneakers. It ruined the image a bit, but Usagi was nothing if not imaginative.

She was tickled pink when Jian showed her a way to tuck her less manageable arm into her shirt without exposing herself to the world. Far from depressing her, it reminded her of a rather large, foreboding man that was in one of Shingo's video games… It only added to her playacting until the serious business of discussing travel came up.

For the party's safety, it was agreed that Usagi should remain in her 'human' form for now. It seemed Tuon wasn't the only one coming with her. Akki was as well, but she'd taken that for granted. It was his own fault what with his nattering on about sacred obligations and calling her his charge and his Bonded and what not… Baba would be coming for as far as he could. Trekking over a mountain and then through the desert that existed on the other side might be difficult for a forest sprite to handle. It was then the Usagi learned they wouldn't be going over the mountain.

"We go through the mountain." Jian said. He, along with Miatsu and Kirari, had also volunteered to accompany her. It had surprised her. Didn't they have more important things to be doing?

"No." Kirari answered. "Helping you _is_ the most important thing we can do." And they'd left it at that. As to how you travel through a mountain, there was another seemingly easy answer.

"Tunnels." Tuon supplied blandly. "The mountains are far too high for us to climb. There's an underground city that we can resupply at. We'll have to buy desert provisions there."

Provisions? How long was this trek going to take?

"Three days through the forest and one through the tunnels to reach the city of Gerd. Another day through the tunnels to reach the other side of the mountain."

"And how long in the desert?" Usagi asked.

The shamans sighed. "We don't know." Kirari finally answered.

"How can you not know?" Usagi asked in confusion. Surely they had maps of some sort.

"We've never been there." Jian shrugged.

"The Sacred Site is said to be a very strange place." Miatsu continued for him. "Three men could set out to find it on the same day, the same hour, from the same place, and all could come upon Tokyo at different times. For one, it could take a day to find, for another, six. And the third could wander the desert his entire life and never come across the lost city."

"Then how are we supposed to find it?" Usagi asked, her mouth dry. They couldn't possibly be suggesting that the city _moved_.

"We pray," Miatsu said simply. Usagi would have thought she was joking if it were not for the serious expressions on the faces before her.

"I will go with you as far as the tunnels." Baba said, breaking her silent reverie. "The desert is no place for a forest sprite. Too far from my cave and I will begin to lose my powers, becoming little more than a common bear. As it is, I'm far afield and not as strong as I should be."

"What's more, I will return home and send Sailor Pluto a letter." This part didn't faze her. Earlier that morning, he'd enlightened her with the knowledge that a hitherto undiscovered Sailor Pluto had sent him to find her. She'd been lost after he'd tried explaining how to send letters across dimensions and then how _that_ Sailor Pluto would have to communicate with _her _Sailor Pluto, despite the fact that Usagi had never met a Sailor Pluto before, and… well, it was all very confusing. So Usagi smiled and nodded, and quickly changed the subject whenever it came up.

Usagi smiled and nodded and quickly asked, "When do we leave?"

"You're all set to leave," The Elder stuck his head into the pavilion. "The mule is loaded and ready to go." It was such good timing, Usagi wondered if he'd been waiting outside the tent for an opportunity to come in. Tuon's rolling of the eyes made her wonder if she wasn't the only to think so.

The group filed out of the tent. As Tuon made to leave, she stopped him with a soft hand to his arms. He looked at her hand, and then at her, with one eyebrow arched.

Her blue eyes were soft as she said in all seriousness, "Thanks for grabbing my shirt last night, and for, you know…" When he didn't speak, as if no, he didn't know, she continued. "It was hard, seeing it like that, all bloody. It was a tough reminder of everything that happened… So, thanks."

He stared at her, just for a moment, at a loss for words. Then he shrugged it, and her hand, off. "The blood would have attracted every mosquito in the area and some of the less intelligent demons. I didn't do it for you." And he ducked out of the tent without a backwards glance.

She stared at the flap that had fallen in her face. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered.

The entrance lifted again and Tuon ducked back in, holding a small child's bouncing ball, no bigger than the palm of her hand. He held it out to her gruffly. She opened her mouth to ask him if he'd found some new, clever way to insult her when he clarified.

"While we're walking, and your arm is held in a sling, squeeze this ball for as long and hard as you can. Maybe that crystal of yours will get the idea and starting working on the broken nerves. If nothing else, the small movements might prolong the life of your arm; keep it from withering." And with those frightening, and enlightening, words he was gone again.

She considered thanking him for the information; Jian and Kirari seemed to take it in stride that her arm, though having limited mobility, was useless. Miatsu kept watching to see if her arm would suddenly and miraculously regain full function. Tuon was the first to give her something practical to do; making her feel as if she had a little control over her life once more.

Not that she would tell him that. His ego seemed swollen enough as it was.

"We cannot reach it." A dark voice hissed.

Marik's eyes burned in anger as he observed Quang-ho forest, stretching from horizon to horizon before him. Of all the places for the power source to originate, why'd it have to be near the damn Forest Barrier?

"What will we do, brother?" A soft hiss questioned from behind.

"It must have gone through," The larger _Kralik_ replied. "We have found no Lunar on the plains, so the forest is the only place it could have gone."

"We cannot cross." His brother reminded him, as if he had forgotten. Marik paused, thinking quickly.

"We will have to go around," he said, his dark, misty body roiling with his anger over this setback. It would take days from their search, but they had no choice. The Forest Barrier would suffer no _Kralik _in her midst.

"We will go around, and search for news of that disgusting angel in the city of Gerd."

Mamoru woke slowly, a warm object pressed to his side. He blinked groggily, looking down in confusion. His heart melted at the sight of Chibi-Usa snuggled against him.

His daughter.

In the dark dream of the previous night, Wise Man had told him that his future self, King Endymion, was married to Neo Queen Serenity. He'd been so shocked at Wise Man's appearance, and so heart broken at the absence of Usagi, it'd flown in one ear and out the other. It wasn't until Pluto had repeated the thought and told him that Chibi-Usa was his daughter that he'd remembered.

But now for the million dollar question. Why would his stupid future self, married to Usagi's future self, want to keep him from his one true love? Why would he try and deprive himself of his daughter?

"Because my future self did it to me, when I was your age." A voice, his voice, echoed in the darkness. Mamoru sat up, peering into the corner of the room where a misty figure was taking shape. He scowled as the image of an older, but probably not wiser, him stepped forward. Definitely not wiser, where those dreams were concerned. Maybe the freezing of the earth had caused him to lose brain cells.

"Setsuna is so adamant that time must balance." Endymion explained apologetically. "Do you think I wanted to do that to myself? To Usagi? Especially with hindsight, knowing how it would hurt her?"

"Than why did you?" Mamoru growled, low enough so as to not wake his daughter.

"When the conflict was resolved and you and Usagi were reunited, you're bond would have been strengthened. Instead of only knowing about your past, you would have been strengthened by your future and the knowledge that you were special enough for someone to try and force you apart."

Mamoru scowled that much harder, and he couldn't keep his voice from rising. "My love for Usagi has nothing to do with what happened in the past!"

Endymion smiled sadly. "But you didn't know that before, did you? It was only when you broke up with her that you realized how much she really meant to you…"

As much as Mamoru wanted to deny it, he couldn't lie to himself (literally). There had always been those insidious questions and doubts… Did he really care about her, or was it warmed over remains of an emotion that had been dead since the Silver Millenium? A few weeks ago, Mamoru wouldn't have known how to answer that. Now, he knew that he loved her singularly, willingly, desperately. And if nothing else, he could thank those damn dreams and her heartbroken face as he broke up with her for that.

Instead of answering, Mamoru asked, "But she comes back from that place, right? She comes back from Quartoth?"

"Yes… I'm just not sure when."

"What?" Mamoru asked, shocked. "How can you not know?"

"I only know what was supposed to happen. My memories of your time are hazy at best, and only becoming hazier now that reality is bending to suit her disappearance. I'm only thankful that Neo Queen Serenity remains where I left her."

He muttered something after that, something about large lizards with a fascination for duck tape, but his voice was too soft and his words too nonsensical for Mamoru to decipher.

"Can you tell me anything helpful, or did you just come to apologize for the dreams?" Mamoru finally asked.

Endymion smiled darkly. "Indeed. First, in the future, realize that all your suspicions about Seiya are true and you don't always have to be the nice guy. Pop him in the mouth once for me, okay?" Mamoru gazed questioningly at him, but Endymion wouldn't elaborate.

"Secondly, Rubeus may have opened the portal, but its power was solely that of the Dark Crystal, which exists in my time. If you want Usagi back, you must not destroy the crystal. More importantly, you must not allow it to be destroyed."

"How will I get to the Crystal?" Mamoru asked. "Pluto won't let us through the gates of time. She says it's not stable!"

Endymion hmmed for a moment. "I'd help if I could," he smiled softly, approaching the bedside, reaching down to caress Chibi-Usa's cheek. Mamoru's eyes widened as he watched the gloved hand of King Endymion pass right through the girl's skin. "But as you can see, I have little substance at the moment. An attack left me weak, near death, and only my mind and a computer's projection stops our subjects from thinking they are leaderless in this time of war."

"Leaderless?"

"When I told you that Neo Queen Serenity is right where I left her… I was being quite serious. She, too, was attacked, and only the quick thinking of the Senshi saved her from death. She is encased in crystal, suspended in a deep sleep. The Inner Senshi can not lead the people, as they are holding the shield around the palace in place, and the Outers are out on the front lines, acting as generals."

Outers? Mamoru didn't ask, he had enough new information to deal with.

"The past, your present," Endymion continued, "is changing. I wanted to comfort you, let you know that the future remains much the same… except for the lizards… and the scar that appeared across Serenity's eyebrow the other day..." Endymion trailed off. He wondered what else about his changed past was changing his Serenity, but with her asleep in the crystal, there was no way to tell… "I just wanted to assure you that no matter how dark it may get, know that there is light at the end of the tunnel."

"And you have no idea how long this tunnel will last?" Mamoru asked quietly, looking down at his hands.

Enymion's quiet helplessness was all the answer he needed.

"Remember," Endymion warned, as he began fading from Mamoru's bedside. "Nothing must happen to the crystal. Wise Man is the crystal's projection. If you want Usagi back, you won't harm Wise Man."

Endymion's parting words sucked all the joy right out of Mamoru's day.

There was something worse, though. If you don't kill the bad guy, how do you stop the youma from attacking?

And far scarier than that, who was the idiot that let his future self go out in public in a lavender tuxedo?

When he reappeared in the throne room, he was shocked to find Uranus waiting impatiently for him.

"Why aren't you at the front?" He asked in confusion

"I came to check on Neo Queen Serenity." Uranus replied, equally confused. She did so every week, in hopes that her liege had woken from her slumber. "You know Serenity is the best general of all of us. If she were to wake, she'd waste no times drawing up new plans for the war effort." When Endymion's face failed to clear itself of the vacancy sign he'd posted, Haruka sighed and continued. "And I, being the liaison, would have to take them to the front line? Ringing any bells?"

Serenity, the best general? In what weird, wacky world would that ever be true? Serenity was kind and loving, the most peaceful woman to ever exist. She was strong and noble… but she was no tactician. She left that to Endymion and the Outers. He glanced at his sleeping queen, shocked to see that she was no longer in the frilly dress she so loved.

"Who changed her clothes?" He gasped.

Uranus stared at him as though he'd just announced that he was giving up the throne to join the circus. She glanced at her sleeping Queen, relieved to find that she was still in the white and silver armor she always wore on the battlefield. "Endymion?" Uranus questioned.

"She was wearing her favorite dress, the one with the butterfly wings… How'd she-"

He was interrupted by Haruka's loud guffaw. "In what world would little Usagi choose to wear a frilly dress over her armor? Especially since she was attacked during the middle of the great battle on the Dark Crystal's doorstep?"

Endymion blinked, his head trying to wrap around what Sailor Uranus was telling him. "What are you talking about?"

Haruka chuckled, shaking her head. "You've been in that computer too long, Majesty. It's starting to get to you."

Actually, it was more what was _not_ getting to him that had him confused. It is a well established fact that computers have never cared what reality does one way or the other. Sure, they might say they're saving a file, blinking innocently at you, but they'd bend reality just so they could go back in time and destroy all history that the file had ever existed in the first place. So, when reality slapped the two halves of creation together, the computers of the world happily ignored it and went right on thinking that nothing had changed. Endymion, whose mind was working through a computer at the moment, was the only man on Earth who knew how history was truly supposed to be.

"Well, back to the front for me!" Haruka called jovially, already turning to leave. Endymion resisted the urge to call her back, to demand answers, to find out what had changed from the world he knew and this strange new one.

Far scarier, it seemed little changes were happening every day. First those lizards that had stopped by for tea, than that scar that bloomed across Serenity's eyebrow… Now this? He wondered how much more would change in the days to come.

Setsuna, watching the events unfold from the Gates of Time, wondered that as well.

A/N:

Gerd- name of a Norse Giantess, derived from another word meaning stronghold. :D

Forgot to add it to the AN of the last chapter, but Hesperos is a greek/roman god; the male personification of the evening star.

This chapter features Strong!Usagi with Silly!Usagi taking a backseat. I know that not everyone would agree with my individual analysis of Usagi's character. But I think the 'boss fight' episodes, or times when she fights enemies on her own, shows a lot of her seriousness and strength that we don't usually get to see. Not to say that I don't love the slapstick humor that the anime series often employs (especially in the first couple of seasons), but I think there's a little more depth there than some Sailor Moon haters give her credit for. So a lot of my ideas of who Usagi is has been going into these chapters. I try to keep a lot of it light, in keeping with the sailor moon style, but eh, just didn't work with this chapter… Hope you can stomach it.


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